


Drowning In The Gentle Darkness

by i_just_missed_writing



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Haou is a part of Judai but also his own character, M/M, POV alternates between Judai and Yusei, Zarc is to Yuya what haou is to Judai, building on the canon concept of light vs darkness, most characters are in their mid-twenties, yuma is the same age he was in zexal, yusaku is twenty-one, yuya is eighteen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:40:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22138711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_just_missed_writing/pseuds/i_just_missed_writing
Summary: Yuki Judai. A duelist at the top of his game, born and raised in the city, and with all the fame and fortune anyone could want. Until he disappeared.And then, years later... Duel Academy. A school in Satellite, focused on providing the foundation for a better future to the next generation of ostracized lower class citizens. The founder and headmaster of that place? Yuki Judai of all people.And now Yusei was going in for a job interview as the new Synchro-summoning teacher. It'd be his first time coming face-to-face with Judai and he wasn't sure what to expect.But this? Yeah... certainly not what he'd expected.
Relationships: Fudou Yuusei/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki
Comments: 95
Kudos: 182





	1. ONE - Yusei

The gates of Duel Academy: a beacon of light and hope in the heart of Satellite, a place previously synonymous with words like exile, misery, trap.

Yusei still couldn't quite believe it existed. 

The founder of Duel Academy was none other than legendary pro-league duelist Yuki Judai. A young man, now in his mid-twenties, who'd made himself a name as a Fusion Duelist in a world where all other summoning methods were favored for various reasons, reaching from superstition to bias.

Born and raised in Neo Domino, Judai had quickly gotten marketed as the golden boy of his generation. Within mere months, he'd found himself sharing the podium with the likes of Muto Yugi and the eldest son of Kaiba Gozaburo. 

In the eyes of Neo Domino's children, Judai had been an idol - a kid like them, talented and driven but also unmotivated about schoolwork; privileged in how he was born in the city but not overly so like Seto as the Kaiba Corp Heir; young but not too young; recognizable but not unrelateable. He'd been a diamond in the rough to every agent and marketing CEO.

For five years straight, everyone had wanted a piece of Yuki Judai. Especially once Yugi had decided to step back from the pro-leagues and focus on his charity work. Neo Domino had needed a replacement, a new face for the pro-leagues, a new shining plaything for the press to sink its teeth into. And Judai had quickly been deemed the perfect fit for the role.

His face had been put on billboards, on posters, on magazines. Every time a new round of tournaments had begun, Judai and his ace monsters were sure to have been thrown at people from all angles no matter where they'd lived. The fact that even Yusei had been able to relate, despite living in Satellite, was proof enough.

And then the world had gone dark. 

People had disappeared and reappeared; duel monsters had gone missing; the world had fallen into utter chaos. Yusei had permanently lost a close friend and nearly lost countless others. Minutes had felt like days. Seconds like hours. Then, just like that, everything had gone back to normal. Within the span of just a few months, humanity had established a new routine.

And a new routine had meant the public had started looking for their sources of entertainment again. It'd been the moment everyone had realized Judai was gone.

It'd become a whole thing: the search for Yuki Judai. The press had gone digging into his past; interviews with Judai's old classmates and long lost relatives had been released on the daily, websites and blogs had started spinning the rumor mill and flinging around conspiracy theories of parallel universes, pocket dimensions, and evil duel monsters. Though with time, things had gone quiet again. And thus, Judai had been forgotten.

At least until his big return.

Duel Academy was built in the heart of Satellite. All construction workers had been locals and they'd even gotten paid a decent amount - an extremely unusual occurrence in this area. The people of Satellite were largely viewed as sub-humans by the people of Neo Domino City. Where the money for the project had come from, no one knew to this day. And no one had dared to ask either. Back then, it'd been a job. A well-paid one at that. Why risk getting fired by asking questions?

Yusei at the time had been doing the odd job here and there to help take care of the families of the construction workers who'd gotten hired for the big project. A few days before the clean-up had been set to begin, Yusei had been fixing the garage door of the local bakery owner when her wife had come in with a stunned expression.

"It's Yuki Judai," she'd muttered.

"What?" It had been so long since Yusei had last heard that name, it'd almost become unfamiliar to him.

"The person behind the building project. It's Yuki Judai."

Yusei's expression had to have said it all because she'd went on without further prompting.

"It's going to be a school. A boarding school. Like the one in the city."

Yusei had been stunned. Immensely so. A pro-league duelist from the city settling down in Satellite to build a school? What kind of fairytale folklore myth was that? It'd sounded too good to be true.

"I know what you're thinking and I didn't want to believe it either, but I saw him. He was overseeing the painters, looking at the building plans, picking paint chips, flipping through catalogues... I think it's legit, Yusei."

Word had gotten around quickly.

The atmosphere all over Satellite had become lighter, full of hope. People had been crowding around the building site as if it could disappear if they dared to leave it unsupervised for even a second. 

More painters had been brought in, furniture had gotten delivered, and Yusei could've sworn he'd even seen some fashion designers walk through the newly installed front doors. It'd been surreal to say the least. A blessing for Satellite, sure. But surreal. Maybe even suspicious if one had been forced into paranoia the way Yusei had been.

But the baker's wife had been right. It'd been legit. And it still was.

The Academy had opened its doors and welcomed the children of Satellite with open arms and open hearts. And also a public speech out of the mouth of Yuki Judai himself. Yusei would know. He'd been right there in the audience, had heard and seen it live but was still unable to fully believe it even now.

Yusei had never really kept up-to-date with the pro-league outside of what Jack had been up to over there, so this had been the first time he'd been confronted with the pure unfiltered power of Judai's charisma. And oh boy, was Judai a force. What kind of force, Yusei still hadn't decided. He wasn't overly loud the way Jack was. He wasn't even overly confident the way Rua liked to present himself to be. Judai simply had this... presence. He radiated charisma, power, energy. There was something about him that had captured Yusei's attention back then. That had made him think that, if he were to look away for too long, he might miss something important.

* * *

That had been the first and last time Yusei had seen him.

And now, Yusei had found himself back at the Duel Academy gates, ready to walk in and meet with Judai one-on-one for his job interview.

It was his friends' doing, really. They'd been the ones pushing him toward the Academy, insisting it had to be his true calling in life after he'd sworn to stay in Neo Domino to keep an eye on the kids with Crow. And he'd also been the one who'd said he couldn't picture himself ever leaving. And then he'd also been the one who'd found out about the job while digging through the internet for his next bigger project. An opening for a teacher in synchro-summoning. "So fate, really," was what Akiza had said. And she'd probably been right.

Yusei walked through the doors of Duel Academy and followed the homemade sign reading "JOB INTERVIEWS". Homemade in this case meant it had been scribbled on a piece of cardboard and stuck to the wall with a thumb tack.

His palms got sweaty. This was it. No going back now. 

Two signs later, he found himself in front of a white-and-red door. It was closed but he could hear muffled voices from the other side.

"It'll be fine, Johan!"

"No, it won't. You're gonna be late. He's probably already on his way!"

"Nah, who's punctual these days?"

"Certainly not you." A pause. "Judai, just stay here. I can get you your lunch."

"You're way too busy for that. I'll just fetch it myself. Trust me. I'm fast. You know I am!"

The voices were getting closer to the door so Yusei took a few quick steps back. At least he now knew he was at the right place which meant the signs had actually been put up by a staff member, not some kids trying to mess with him.

"This meeting's important, Judai. We've gotta find somebody who'll fill this position and he's probably the best pick out of the entire country's population. You shouldn't be taking risks like this for the sake of a rice ball!"

"Now you're just making me sound unreasonable."

"Because you're being unreasonable!"

The door handle was pushed down but the door only opened about an inch or two. Yusei could see a black sleeve poking through. It partially covered a tan hand and the person it belonged to was clearly still facing the room.

"Normally you're all about me eating regular meals! Now I'm trying to follow your advice and you're just being mean. There really is no pleasing you!"

Silence stretched out for a few long moments. The door remained unmoving.

"Alright, alright. Stop looking at me like that," Judai whined. "We'll just compromise! You stay here and make sure our new teacher doesn't run off before he's hired and I go fetch us lunch. Sound good?"

" _You're_ the one he's supposed to meet with, not me!"

"I trust you to be charming and convincing."

"Judai-"

"Johan-"

Yusei cleared his throat.

The voices fell silent. The door opened a little further.

Fluffy brown hair, followed by big brown eyes and a slightly gaping mouth peeked out into the hallway. "Uh... how long have you been standing there?"

* * *

Yusei quickly found himself seated in front of a dark wooden desk while Judai was sitting on the other side, his head cocked and eyes observant. He seemed deep in thought, like he was weighing his options on whether or not he should hire Yusei. The thing was that Yusei hadn't even gotten the chance to speak yet, at least not beyond an awkward greeting.

Ultimately, it was Johan who dared to clear his throat and snap Judai back to the present after an uncomfortably long silence.

Judai blinked repeatedly as he leaned back in his desk chair. He seemed caught off guard and shuffled around a bunch of papers as if he were trying to buy himself some time to reorganize his thoughts.

"Should I leave you two alone?" Johan asked.

"Huh?" Judai looked up to meet his gaze. "Hm, right. Yeah. You do that."

Johan nodded after a moment's hesitation and headed for the door. 

Just as he was about to leave, Judai called for him. "Wait! Riceballs?"

Yusei heard Johan sigh before the door fell shut behind him.

Judai was clearly not trying to hide his smile as he dug up a blue folder among his mess of papers. "Fudo Yusei," he finally said.

"Yes."

Judai opened the folder. "You've made a pretty big name for yourself around here. Everyone's been telling me about you and about how important you are to the people of Satellite. It's really quite the honor to have you here."

Yusei was stunned. He could feel his lips part and eyes widen, even as he tried to hide his surprise. "Um..."

"So when do you wanna start?"

"What?"

Judai looked over at him. "You _are_ here for the spot as a synchro summoning teacher, right? I didn't get that mixed up?" He looked back down at the folder and flipped a few pages.

"Yes. No. Right. I am. I just... you didn't ask me any questions."

"Questions about what?" Judai's eyes were back on him. He seemed genuinely confused.

"About my qualifications for this position?" Yusei didn't mean to make it sound like a question but right now, his head was nothing but.

"I think your reputation covers that pretty well. I mean, you're a legendary duelist around here and the kids already look up to you. If I'd known you were looking for a job, I would've come to you the second I decided to build this place."

"I..."

Judai closed the folder, folded his hands on top and looked at Yusei expectantly. When no further words came, he opted to smiled brightly. "So when do you wanna start?" he repeated.

Yusei blinked. "Whenever you want." This time he really focused on not making it sound like a question.

"Even if that would be Monday?"

"Sure."

"Amazing!" Judai's smile got even brighter.

He jumped up from his seat and quickly rounded the desk, prompting Yusei to keep pace and get up as well so he could accept Judai's outstretched hand for a prolonged handshake.

"I'm so happy you're joining the faculty! I got some amazing people here already. Some of my old classmates even decided to come in from the city! Johan you already met. He teaches chemistry but he's also the head of the Obelisk dorm. Asuka is another old classmate of mine you're gonna meet soon. She'll start teaching alchemy come Thursday." Judai let go of Yusei's hand and started heading for the door. A glance over his should told Yusei he was meant to follow along. "We've got all other positions filled as well so I guess you're gonna be the newbie for a while." Judai's tone was teasing. 

Yusei followed him out the door and into the hallway. They were heading back the way Yusei had come from.

"Judai!"

Yusei stopped and turned to find Johan jogging up behind them, a paper bag in hand.

"Yes, food!" Judai cheered as he snatched the bag from Johan and ripped it open. He didn't hesitate to stuff his face.

Yusei looked away and tried not to feel too out of place.

"Where were you guys heading?" Johan asked..

"I was going to show him the dorms!" Judai said. Thankfully, he had the decency to swallow beforehand.

Johan's eyes widened as he turned to Yusei. "So you accepted?"

Yusei averted his gaze for a moment to hide his confusion. "I'd actually been under the impression this was a job interview, not just a... job offer? So really, I'm grateful you want to have me."

Johan's smile was nearly as blinding as Judai's had been. "Of course we want you! It's such an honor!"

"Thank you." Yusei hoped he'd sounded more collected than he fehlt.

"Now, come along, guys!" Judai said, food still in hand. "Onward to the dorms!"

* * *

"You're the head of the Obelisk dorm, right?" Yusei asked as they passed said dorm and moved on to Ra Yellow. His gaze flickered to Johan.

"Yup," Johan said cheerfully. "I was doing a pretty good job back in the day of keeping Judai in check so I consider myself prepared to take on this responsibility."

Judai gasped in offense. "Wow, Johan! And right in front of the new staff member, too!"

Johan laughed and bumped his shoulder against Judai's. "I'm just teasing!" He looked at Yusei. "Judai was an absolute teacher's pet. A golden boy. Top of his class in every single subject." He paused for a beat. "And that's exactly why Professor Cronos always called him drop-out boy until the day he graduated."

"Johan!"

Yusei smiled as he watched Judai set off to chase Johan to the yellow dorm.

* * *

"So who's the head of Ra Yellow?" Yusei asked as he reached the path leading up the dorm's front door. 

Judai had already finished messing up Johan's hair by giving him a playful noogie that had ended the moment Johan had managed to reach up and return the favor. Yusei had decided to slow down and give them some time. He remembered the days where him, Crow, and Jack had been the same way. Those were some of his favorite memories, actually... the simple moments where they'd been allowed to just be kids.

"We were kind of hoping that could be you," Judai said. He sounded sheepish.

"What?" Yusei blurted out.

"Yeah, I know. It's a lot to ask. Especially since you haven't even properly started yet, but... since you're already going to be living here-"

 _I am?_ Yusei thought. Next time, he really needed to read the fine print before he applied for a job.

"- and Ra Yellow is kind of the only dorm that still has a free staff bedroom.So we thought, you know, why not ask?"

"I, um..."

"You don't have to decide just yet," Johan cut in. "Take your time. Think it over."

"No, no, it's fine," Yusei said quickly. "I can do it."

"Amazing!" Judai cheered.

"Thank you, Yusei." Johan inclined his head a little.

"Yes, thank you!" Judai echoed.

"No problem," Yusei said quickly, feeling a little awkward again. "So what about the Osiris dorm? Who's the head of that one?"

"Judai is, actually," Johan replied.

Yusei frowned. "But aren't you the headmaster?"

Judai nodded. Something in his expression had shifted. His cheerfulness had dwindled a little. "I'm both, yes," he said simply. He turned his back on them and started walking again. He was heading toward the red dorm they'd just been talking about. "But you know," he continued, his chipper tone back in full force, "if you ever need to find me, just call me!" He patted along the pockets of his jacket and pants for a moment before dropping his still empty hands. "Johan can give you my number!"

Yusei glanced at Johan who was rolling his eyes with a fond expression.

"But I'll usually be in my office when I'm available so feel free to check there, too!"

Yusei nodded before he realized Judai wouldn't be able to see him from up ahead. "Okay, thank you."

Judai threw him a wink over his shoulder. "Great! Now on to the best dorm!"

* * *

Judai had decided to stay back at the Osiris dorm and leave it to Johan to finish up the tour and take care of the paperwork.

"Why would the headmaster be head of the lowest ranking dorm?" Yusei asked as they were heading back to the main building.

"He really likes red," Johan said simply.

"So why choose to make red the lowest ranking one?"

"It wasn't his idea. The person who financed most of the project came up with the dorm colors, ranking, and everything."

Yusei's head flooded with even more questions at those words. The person who financed the project? So it wasn't just Judai behind all this? Who else could it be? And what was their motivation?

"After you," Johan said cheerfully as he held open the door to Judai's office.

"Thank you," Yusei mumbled as he walked past.

Johan was quick to brush by him and round the desk. After a bit of digging through the drawers, he came up with a small stack of papers. "Now here comes the boring part."

Yusei decided to sit down for that one.


	2. TWO - Judai

"I can't believe you brought him here!" Haou hissed.

Judai bit his lip and tried to ignore the dark presence hovering near him.

He hadn't planned to come down here now. He'd wanted to stay with Yusei and Johan out there in the sunlight where he could temporarily forget the darkness inside him. But Haou'd had different plans. Judai had felt him at the back of his mind, gnawing away, spitting insults, spreading doubt. 

Since they'd wrapped up construction, Judai had been good at shutting Haou out. He'd been so busy with arrangements, paperwork, following schedules, attending meetings, he'd barely had time to breathe, nevermind time to sit down long enough to think. The exhaustion had been good for him, had even forced him to drop into unconsciousness the moment his head hit the pillow which had cut out those precious moments of drifting off that Haou loved so much. Mostly because they were moments of vulnerability. After all, who didn't automatically let their guard down when they were falling asleep?

"I know you felt his energy," Haou went on.

Judai clenched his fists and looked down. Dark wood. Why had he chosen dark wood for the floorboards? Shouldn't he have gone for something lighter to balance out the darkness that trapped him here? 

"It clashes with ours," Haou bit out. Judai could hear the early stages of annoyance in his tone. He hated being ignored. And Judai hated giving him attention.

In moments like these, Judai longed for Yubel. He could never sense them when Haou was around. He didn't blame them for it. He'd be fleeing to the back of his mind, too, if that wouldn't mean leaving Haou in charge of his body.

"You should make him leave before the paperwork is signed," Haou pushed.

Judai tried to drown him out by looking at his surroundings. LED lights, yellow walls, no windows. He was underground, below the red dorm. The stairs hidden behind the door in the corner led up to his official bedroom. The plan had been to only come down here when Haou became strong enough to be dangerous, but then Judai had realized there was no way to determine when that was without letting it get too far again. The thought alone had made him paranoid enough to put a second bed down here, install a bathroom, and give Johan orders to come over and lock him in before nightfall each day

Johan hadn't been happy about it. The concern had been written so clearly on his face he may as well have voiced it.

"Stop fucking ignoring me!"

Judai flinched at the booming voice so close to his ear. Haou rarely got loud. Usually he opted for the deadly silent route which meant this must be really important to him.

"I can't just fire him again," Judai said quietly.

"If you hadn't brought him here in the first place, you wouldn't have to."

"We need him here."

Haou's glare almost caused Judai physical pain. That cold stare on his own face. Judai remembered seeing it reflected back at him in the puddles of blood spreading around his victims.

"I need him here," Judai corrected. "He'll help me make the world a better place." His voice got quieter as he forced himself to turn his back on Haou and walk toward the armchair in the corner. He needed to put some distance between them.

"He'll destroy you," Haou said. The conviction in his voice was audible. He truly believed what he was saying. "The minute he finds out who you are and what you've done, he'll make sure to wipe you off the face of this planet."

Judai's first thought was _"So?"_ But then he realized he wouldn't be taken down so easily. If somebody were to truly try to kill him, Haou would take over the moment Judai's consciousness was weakened. And Haou in charge meant people would die. Good people. Innocent people. Judai's students, his teachers, and first in line would be Yusei because he would be the biggest threat in this scenario.

"Yusei wouldn't do that," Judai mumbled. "He'd probably just lock me up. Or get someone else to do it."

_Why am I answering him? Why am I listening to him? I shouldn't be doing this. Ignore him. Ignore him. Shut him down. Shut him out._

"And you'd be fine with that?" Haou waited a beat and scoffed. "Of course you would be. You're already locking yourself up every night." 

In his periphery, Judai could see him begin to prowl around the room like a caged tiger. Sometimes Judai wondered if he'd be less afraid of Haou if they didn't share the same appearance. Back when Judai had retaken control of his body, he'd thought shedding the armor would be like shedding himself of The Supreme King status. He'd wanted to never see that armor again. But now, looking at Haou in his own jeans and jacket but still with those damn cold golden eyes made Judai wish that forsaken armor had somehow taken on a spiritual form and attached to Haou. At least that would make it easier for Judai to see him as a separate entity instead of a part of himself.

"You know this door could never hold me back, right?" Haou said, tracing his fingers across the cold white metal. "If I were in charge of that body of yours, I could just blast through it as if it were paper."

Judai clenched his jaw and focused on his own hands. He'd been picking at the skin around his nails. There was some dried blood on the cuticles around his right thumb to prove it.

"I know you want me to think you're not listening." Haou drummed his fingers against the metal once, twice, and kept walking. "But I know you're paying attention to my every move, my every word. You're so afraid to miss a potential hint at some... devious scheme of mine." He let his fingers wander across the back of the desk chair a few feet to Judai's right.

Judai could feel his leg muscles tense at how close Haou was getting. Part of him wanted to jump up and run away but an even stronger part of him didn't want to give Haou the satisfaction.

"Rest assured, I'm not planning anything. Not right now at least."

Judai did not feel assured. In fact, the words only made him more worried. It felt like Haou was playing a game with him. Entertaining himself by messing with Judai. He was... evolving, developing a personality beyond the twisted, evil king he'd been back in "his" kingdom. Judai couldn't help but feel like he was spending his days picking apart Judai's personality and taking the elements he liked to reinvent himself.

But reinvent himself as what? The ruler of this potential new kingdom? Was that was his plan was? To sit back and observe until he knew enough of this world to conquer it? Could he maybe even already be strong enough to take over Judai's body but chose not to?

"I can smell the anxiety on you," Haou said. He leaned forward a bit, seeking out Judai's eyes. In turn, Judai was doing his best to avert eye contact at all costs but ultimately failed due to the close proximity. "It's disgusting. Not just the smell, even, but all of this. You, down here in a basement, afraid of your own shadow, your own power. I made you a king. I built you a castle. I gave you an army. And you threw it all away."

Judai tried to keep his voice and hands from shaking as he met Haou's gaze. "No. You had all of those things. I was trapped. Inside my own head. And you were the one who trapped me there."

Haou straightened up with a sigh. "I would've let you out eventually. Once you came to your senses, of course."

Judai's breath stuttered as he let it escape his lungs in barely hidden relief. Even just that bit of distance from Haou made breathing feel easier.

"Someone's coming," Haou said after a moment of silence. He sounded annoyed by it. His golden eyes were glaring at the closed door.

"It's Johan," Judai mumbled to himself. He would recognize that energy anywhere. The thought of his best friend on the other side of that door made him get up and walk past Haou. There was no need to use himself as a shield while Haou was in spirit form but it still made him feel less anxious.

The sound of the door scraping against the floor felt like a shift in energy. A cut-off point for the draining back-and-forth with Haou. Judai was reminded that the measurements for the room had been off when it was first built. But he'd reassured the workers he didn't care too much about the state of the floorboards so they'd left it at that. If he'd known back then that he'd be spending this much time down here, maybe he would've reacted differently.

"Why are you in here?" Johan asked, his familiar voice cutting through the tension. There was already a frown on his face. And a worried one at that.

Judai didn't like it. Neither did he like the thought of having his back to Haou but he still forced himself to keep facing forward. Mostly because he knew that, if he were to look back, Haou would be gone. He never stuck around to let others see him.

"I mean... I wasn't even there to lock the door so why not stay upstairs with the sunlight?"

Judai shrugged and threw a glance behind Johan. There was light cascading down the stairs which told Judai enough time had past for the sun to set low enough to fall directly through the window.

"If you're looking for Yusei, I can tell you he's not here. You know I wouldn't bring him here."

Judai nodded before his thoughts caught up with him. Yusei. His job. His responsibilities. What was he doing, letting himself get lost in his internal darkness while the door was unlocked and unprotected kids were roaming the area? He shook his head and forced his muscles to release some of their tension.

"Right, Yusei," he said, forcing some cheerfulness back in his tone. "That's a pretty big achievement for the Academy, isn't it? Did you get through all the paperwork with him?" He quickly headed for the door and up the stairs.

Behind him, Johan flipped off the lights and closed the door. Judai knew because he was listening for even the smallest of hints that Haou may have manifested somehow and decided to lock himself in with Johan. But there was nothing. "Yeah, we got everything signed. I gave him all the copies, his schedule, arranged the moving in process, went over the school rules, et cetera, et cetera."

"And?" Judai crossed the room and headed outside. Johan was still at his heels despite being the one who had to pause again to close the door behind them. 

"And what?"

"Did he want one of the jackets and duel discs?"

Johan sighed.

Judai turned to look at him." Did you even offer?" he pushed.

"No, I didn't."

Judai frowned. "Why not?"

"He just doesn't seem the type who'd like yellow."

"You don't know that!"

"I know enough to confidently say he prefers dark clothing."

"Hmpf." Judai faced fully forward again and picked up his pace. "I'll ask him anyway."

"Just because you want the same jacket and duel disc as your students, doesn't mean the same goes for the other teachers."

"Sho asked for one and he doesn't even work here!"

Johan chuckled. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah!" Judai could feel real happiness wash over him at the memory. "I ordered Obelisk blue for him. He said he'll wear both to his duels to spread awareness about the Academy! Maybe it'll even get us some donations!"

"It'd be nice if we didn't have to fully rely on Kaiba," Johan admitted.

The words made Judai's mood darken again. "I worry about him," he admitted. He let his thoughts wander for a moment. "What if he gets caught?"

Johan nudged their shoulders together. "He won't. He's a genius, remember?"

Judai massaged his temples as he felt a headache form. "I know, I know. But he's risking so much."

"Because Mokuba asked him to, not you."

Judai dropped his hands to glare at Johan. "And you think that'd make me feel better, why?"

Johan sighed. "Good point."

They were closing in on the main building. Judai could already hear the kids roaming the halls. Their loud, cheerful voices, the giggling, the occasional squeal and shout. Classes hadn't even properly started yet but Judai had decided to leave it up to the teachers to plan some fun activities for the introduction week. It'd give the kids a chance to meet their classmates and professors while also getting used to waking up earlier than usual. So far, he hadn't heard any complaints so he assumed things were going well.

"Classes are properly starting on Monday," Judai stated.

"Are you worried?" Johan asked.

"Yes."

"Worried enough to call this entire thing off and turn this place into a hotel resort?"

Judai was caught off guard by his own laughter. "No."

"Great! Then I'm sure it'll all be fine."

Johan reached up to wrap an arm around Judai's shoulders and pull him close. Judai mirrored him without second thought. They fell into perfect step, the same way they always had since they'd been kids. The closeness was calming and brought back memories of easier times.

Those first few weeks after meeting each other had felt surreal. Warm and fuzzy in a way Judai had only ever felt after he'd woken up from the dreams about Yubel. Dreams that had turned out to be buried memories. With Johan, Judai had finally had someone who shared his powers, who understood him in a way nobody else had up until that point. It was a connection he couldn't put into words, couldn't explain. But it was the reason that, to this day, Judai had never been able to convince himself he regretted setting off on that suicide mission into the other dimension. It had cost... so much but it'd also gotten him Johan back. Judai could never regret that.

Johan's hold on him tightened for a moment. "What're you thinking about?"

Judai blinked his thoughts back into the present. "Ah, nothing," he brushed off. "Just the hot new teacher we just hired."

The laugh that burst out of Johan lifted Judai's spirits like nothing else.

"Don't laugh!" Judai said but didn't even try to hide his own grin. "I know you thought the same thing when he walked into my office with that black jacket and intense glare!"

Johan gasped as he tried to calm down. "Please don't hit on him in the first month!" he got out. "Give him some time to settle in and get attached first so he'll think twice about quitting."

Judai gaped in mock offense. "You think he'd quit to get rid of me?"

"You never know!" Johan replied as he pushed through the front doors of the main building, pulling Judai along despite it being a tight squeeze.

"Wow. And here I was thinking you were my best friend. My most trusted companion. My actual soulmate. My-"

"Okay, okay," Johan cut in. "I get it. You're wonderful and gorgeous and every single guy out there would be lucky to have you. There. Better?"

Judai hummed. "Dunno... I think I could go for some more flattering adjectives."

Johan pulled back his arm to push Judai away. "And that's why I never compliment you."

Judai reached out to grab Johan again but Johan was quick to dodge. "No, wait, come back. I need your love and support!"

"Um..."

Judai froze as he heard Yusei's deep voice come from somewhere behind him. When he whirled around, his eyes met deep blue. Crap. That man truly had the worst timing.

"I was just going to ask if I was allowed to park my D-Wheel on the premises." Yusei both looked and sounded uncomfortable.

"Oh, uh, yeah, of course. We got space."

"Great. Then I'll, uh, better go pack my things and get everything sorted out for tomorrow."

"Fantastic! Can't wait for you to move in and become part of the family!"

Yusei nodded and left without another word.

Judai felt frozen as he watched him head down the path to the front gates.

"He seemed a little..." Johan trailed off.

"Uncomfortable?" Judai prompted.

"That. Yes."

"Do you think I'm too much for him?" Judai asked as he turned to face Johan.

"Normally I'd say 'maybe' but some of his best friends could rival 15-year-old you in energy and enthusiasm."

"Then what-" Judai cut himself off as it dawned on him. "Oh god, what if he thinks I'm unfit for the job?"

Johan rolled his eyes. "I don't think-"

"Oh man," Judai whined. "This is what Cronos was talking about when I called him for advice. _'You have to act like a headmaster to be treated like one, drop-out-boy.'_ " 

"He still calls you that?" Johan questioned.

Judai sighed and began heading for his office. "I'm really gonna have to get used to this being-an-authority-figure thing." He could feel something scratch at the back of his mind as he spoke but he pushed it down, down, down. Not right now. Never again, preferably. Though that likely wasn't an option.

"As vice principal of this school, I'll be happy to assist in that undertaking."

"Ooh, more flattery," Judai teased. "Maybe that'll get you your own office with a view some day."

The comment earned him a push against his back that nearly caused his forehead to become more intimately acquainted with his office door.


	3. THREE - Yusei

"So you're really committing to this being a teacher thing, huh?" Crow commented as he walked in on Yusei packing up the last of his belongings. It was only two boxes, really. Two boxes and his D-wheel. It would've been a whole lot more if he'd decided to bring along his tools and other equipment. And while that was something he'd thought about, he'd ultimately decided against it. After all, he could always come back to fetch anything he needed, right? It wasn't like he was moving out of the city - just five blocks down the road.

"I didn't really have much of a choice," Yusei replied.

"Going by your call earlier, you had a whole lot of choices."

Yusei glanced over at Crow who was now leaning against the doorjamb. His expression would have seemed neutral to anybody else but Yusei could see the thoughtfulness in his eyes. 

"I couldn't just say no," Yusei said. He folded up the top of the box to trap his clothes inside before picking it up for its journey downstairs.

"Well, you could've," Crow argued, "but you didn't." He moved aside to let Yusei pass and stayed back as Yusei dropped the box down the hole in the floor. It landed down in the kitchen area on a blanket he'd put at the foot of the ladder. It was a system they'd all picked up on after Jack had once sprained his ankle by trying to climb the ladder while holding a nightstand. They didn't talk about that incident. Not while Jack was around, at least.

"Are you saying I should've left them to find another synchro-summoning teacher?" Yusei asked.

"Nope. I'm just saying you took on additional responsibilities like you always do," Crow argued. "I mean, this was just supposed to be a full time job but now you're moving out. You completely turned your life around for this position and you didn't even stop to think it over for more than a minute."

Yusei met Crow's eyes. "Who said it was no more than a minute?"

"I did. Because I know you. Which means I know the second someone says 'please', you're prepared to risk your life for them."

Yusei didn't know what to say to that. So he said nothing and started climbing downstairs.

He could hear Crow sigh and get ready to follow him, though he wouldn't manage to catch up until Yusei had nearly reached the workshop area. "Do you think you'll like it?" Crow asked as they fell into step again.

"What? Teaching?"

"That. And living with so many kids, having to follow a daily schedule, not getting to work on D-Wheels every day. It's a major change from the way you've lived for the last five years and I wanna make sure you're not sacrificing your own happiness for this job."

Yusei felt a warmth fill his chest. Of course he'd always known Crow cared about his happiness but it was rare to hear him say it so bluntly.

"Yusei?" Crow prompted again after a beat.

"I'll be fine," Yusei said. They'd reached his D-Wheel which was parked right outside the garage. Right beside it was the first box which was now joined by the one he'd been carrying. "It'll take some adjusting, yes, but I feel like this could be good for me. Because you're right. I've been living a certain way for five years. I've gotten used to a lack of routine, to the odd jobs and unhealthy eating habits. I fell into a rut." He put his hand on the box again. "This'll give me a new purpose."

"You've always had a purpose," Crow reminded him.

Yusei smiled. "I know. But this is a new opportunity to give back to the city. And I hope you'll support my decision to pursue it."

There was something in Crow's eyes for a moment. He was searching for something, and when he found it, his face lit up with a blinding grin. "I do. Of course I do! We're family!" He held up his hand for Yusei to grab and hold on to for a lingering moment.

"Thank you," Yusei said earnestly.

Crow squeezed his hand once more before he let go and looked down at the boxes. "Okay, so you carry those while I push your D-Wheel?"

Yusei nodded. He'd known Crow would pick the easier task.

* * *

It was his first day on the job and to say he was a little nervous would be an understatement. The moving in part had been easy. The learning how to cook for an entire dorm of kids part a little less so. But getting up on stage to be introduced to his new students? Having to hold an introductory class to the subject he was going to be teaching? Both of those were a little more nerve-wracking. He was confident in his dueling and his ability to connect with the kids but he'd never been in a situation where he had to teach so many young minds at once. Nevermind in a professional setting. And having to admit to himself he was under-prepared for something just felt... bad.

"You'll be fine," Johan said as he lead him toward the auditorium. Which was a fancy way of saying 'that largely vacant area in the center of the academy Judai hadn't yet decided what to do with'.

Yusei stayed silent and tried not to fiddle with the sleeves of his black jacket. Maybe he should've worn something more formal? But then again, Johan was just wearing the same blue jacket as the students of Obelisk blue. Except he'd apparently also cut off the sleeves for some reason. Maybe to show off the poofy white sleeves of his button up shirt. Or would that be considered a blouse?

"The kids already know and love you so there really isn't anything to worry about," Johan went on. Though the speed at which he was talking was a little too fast to be fully reassuring. Maybe he was also nervous and trying to hide it.

"Do you think I should've worn something lighter?" Yusei asked.

Johan exhaled. It sounded relieved. "Why're you asking?"

"Akiza always told me my wardrobe needed more color. Especially whenever the team was invited to an event."

"I'm not sure the kids would recognize you if you wore yellow," Johan joked.

Yusei smiled a little. "You're probably right."

Johan's face lit up as if Yusei had just told him some incredibly good news. Yusei wasn't sure what to make of it.

"You're here!" A voice called. 

When Yusei looked over, he found a tall, blonde person standing by the door.

"Asuka!" Johan sped up a little. "Are we the last to arrive?"

"No, Judai's still missing and so is one of his kids."

Johan frowned. "They're still at the dorm?"

"No, I already checked." She sounded a little worried.

Yusei frowned. Could something have happened? It wasn't completely unlikely. There were a lot of people who didn't want this project to succeed, some of them surely influential enough to make a person disappear without leaving any traceable evidence behind. The thought made him queasy. Not just because he wanted a better life for the children of Satellite, but also because he didn't want anything to happen to Judai. He'd clearly taken a lot of risks while building this Academy and he should get the chance to watch his plans take root and change the future.

"Where do we start looking?" Yusei asked. "Is there anywhere other than the red dorm and his office where he likes to go? Anywhere outside the school grounds, maybe?"

Johan shook his head. "He wouldn't leave so close to the start of-"

"We're here!"

Yusei turned at the voice coming from somewhere behind him.

It was Judai, and he was running up to them with a young kid in tow. They nearly barreled straight into the others as they skidded to a halt less than a foot away. Yusei took a moment to notice Judai had swapped out the black jacket for one of the red ones from his dorm. The same dorm the kid beside him seemed to be a member off, going by the red vest he was wearing. The stylistic choice of removing the sleeves made Yusei wonder if the kid had gotten inspired by Johan.

"Judai! Where have you been?" Asuka scolded. "The ceremony's about to begin and-"

"He can explain later," Johan cut her off. "Now hurry up and get inside - both of you!"

Judai's expression matched that of the kid beside him - a borderline pout. It made Yusei wonder. Was it wise to form a connection with a student before classes even began? Weren't teachers supposed to not pick favorites? Was that even possible? And why had those two been late in the first place?

"Actually, on second thought," Johan spoke up. "You go on ahead and join your schoolmates and you stay here with me, Mr. Yuki."

The kid looked up at Judai for a moment, seemingly hesitant. "Alright then... I'll see you later, teacher?"

Judai nodded with a smile. "I'll be right in for the ceremony, Yuma, no worries!"

Yusei watched the kid disappear inside. Through the glass door, for just a moment, Yusei could've sworn he saw something light up beside him. Something almost resembling the silhouette of a person.

"Why, Judai?" was all Johan said after the student was out of earshot.

"Yuma's like us, Johan."

Johan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He's like me, and you, and Yugi." Judai stepped a little closer to Johan with each word.

"He can see duel monster spirits?"

"Not just that." Judai's voice dropped lower in volume to the point where Yusei wondered if he should leave because he wasn't meant to overhear the exchange. "Did you notice his necklace?"

"The golden key?"

Judai nodded. "It's like Yugi's puzzle was."

Johan's eyes widened.

Judai nodded even more eagerly.

Johan averted his gaze for a moment, clearly thinking rapidly. "Is it a mil-"

"No," Judai interrupted quickly.

Johan exhaled in obvious relief. "So what kind of spirit...?"

"Neo," was all Judai said.

Johan frowned. "Like the same?"

"Different corner but still out there."

Johan nodded.

Yusei could no longer follow so he looked away from the two and met Azuka's eyes. She seemed torn between letting her friends talk it out and cutting in so they could follow their duty as faculty members.

"That's... wow," Johan said.

"I know, right?" Judai replied excitedly.

"How much did you tell him about..."

Judai's expression darkened a little. "I told him about Yubel but not..."

Johan nodded. "I understand. So what do you plan to do with Yuma?"

Judai shrugged. "I don't want to be accused of favoritism by the staff and students, but... I also wanna take the kid under my wing a little, you know? I feel like there's a lot he hasn't told me yet and I don't want him to feel like he's got to go through everything alone..."

"I-"

"This is clearly an important conversation," Asuka interrupted. She sounded like those words had been building up in her for a while now, "but what's going on inside that building is also quite urgent so I really think we should head in now."

Judai and Johan both looked over at the door as if they'd forgotten all about the assembly they'd personally been organizing for weeks.

"Oh crap," Judai muttered as he began frantically smoothing his hands over his jacket and hair. He looked at Johan. "Do I look like a principal?"

"No," Johan replied immediately.

"A teacher?"

"No."

"A _cool_ teacher?" Judai drawled.

Johan narrowed his eyes and paused. "Not particularly, no," he said slowly.

Judai rolled his eyes and brushed past Johan to get to the door. "One day, I'll start threatening to fire you."

"You could do that right now," Johan pointed out.

"No, I still call on you too much so you wouldn't believe me."

"And you think that's ever gonna change?" Asuka spoke up.

"Stop teaming up against your boss!" Judai called out.

Yusei felt out of place as he watched them banter so he stayed a step behind as they went into the building. Maybe he'd lost his ability to socialize with people outside of work and life-threatening situations. Crow would probably say no. Akiza too. Jack would deny he'd ever had any social skills to begin with. Yusei was beginning to miss his friends.

"Come on, Yusei!" Judai's voice was a lot closer than expected. 

Yusei hadn't even noticed himself zone out but as he looked up, they were already approaching the doors to the auditorium which Johan and Asuka didn't hesitate to walk through.

"Are you okay?" Judai sounded concerned and didn't hesitate to put a hand on Yusei's shoulder to get him to stop walking.

Yusei turned to face him fully. "I'm a little nervous," he admitted. He could already hear the sound of at least a hundred kids cramped into one room. "I haven't been in front of this many people at once since the end of WRPG."

Judai smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "Those were a whole lot more people, Yusei. And mostly adults, too. Pretty judgmental ones." He trailed off and cocked his head. "I forgot the point I was trying to make." He pulled back a little and clapped his hands together. "Anyway! This'll be great! The kids will love you. The staff will love you. Hey, most of them already do! If anyone should be nervous, it's me - I'm late to the opening ceremony of my own school!"

Faced with so much enthusiasm and a radiant smile, Yusei didn't quite know how to behave. "I'm sure the students won't mind the small delay," he settled on since he didn't have enough time to overthink.

"I sure hope they won't!" Judai chuckled and turned to walk through the doors, waving for Yusei to follow him.

The auditorium was packed to the brim. Kids dressed in yellow, red, and blue were filling up the fold-up chairs lined up in front of the small stage at the other end of the room. There was energy buzzing through the air - excitement, anticipation, and surely also some impatience at this point. Up on the stage, the teachers were standing in an uneven line before a dark green curtain which served as a backdrop.

"Sorry, everybody!" Judai called out, his voice carrying across the entire auditorium.

Yusei tried not to flinch as everyone's eyes turned to Judai and, ultimately, also himself.

"I swear I will do my best to not make this a habit!" Judai went on to joke.

There were chuckles and some laughter bouncing back at them in response. The shift in atmosphere was captivating. The charm of the champion, the pro-league duelist, the Golden Boy was clearly still there. And now Yusei was seeing it in person.

"In my defense, I asked Johan to get here earlier so he could keep you entertained with his juggling skills but he refused!"

Yusei could see Johan's fond eye-roll from halfway across the room. The kids seemed entertained by back and forth.

"I'm not even joking, he's a fantastic juggler!" Judai said over his shoulder as if he were speaking to Yusei, though his voice was still loud enough to carry across their audience. "A man of many talents!" he called out to Johan.

"Just get up here already!" Johan finally called out.

Judai threw a wink over his shoulder at Yusei before he hurried to jump up on stage, foregoing the stairs only a few feet to his right. Yusei opted to be civilized and not follow his example.

"Welcome to Duel Academy!" Judai said after he'd rounded the wooden podium front and center of the stage. "Though you already know where you are by now. I hope, at least. Welcome to the first day of classes at Duel Academy! There, that's more appropriate." He folded his arms on the podium, seeming at home where he stood. "From now on, you'll be following the schedule we assigned to you, which means we're also going to be approaching the first tests and exams in only a few weeks."

Yusei tried to sneak looks at his new colleagues in the hopes of finding somebody else who was caught off guard by this fact. There was no one. Just him then. Great.

"By now, you should already know where to find all the class rooms, what teacher to expect in what room, and who you're going to be sitting next to, so this adjustment period should be quick and painless. However, if any of you are still confused or uncertain about something, feel free to come up to me or one of our lovely faculty members and ask away." Judai looked over at his staff. "Speaking of faculty, we got a new teacher! Most of you, if not all of you, will already know who he is, but just in case: meet Fudo Yusei! He's going to be our new synchro-summoning teacher and also the head of the Ra yellow dorm! _However_ , please don't go tracking him down for an autograph while he's brushing his teeth. I know he's wonderful, amazing, and famous but that's exactly why we don't want to scare him off."

There was so much heat in Yusei's face right now and he just hoped it wasn't showing.

Judai shot him a bright grin. "I'm just teasing." He looked back to the students. "I'm sure he'll be a wonderful addition to our staff and that all of you will treat him with nothing but respect. Maybe even more respect than the rest of us. Which you shouldn't! But you probably will."

There was a sudden cough from Johan which made Yusei jump since he was standing right next to him. "Sorry," Johan muttered.

Yusei just shook his head to show he didn't mind.

"Next point on our agenda!" Judai went on. "Keeping the dorms clean!"

* * *

Yusei took a deep breath as he stood right behind the door to his classroom. All his students were already gathered inside. He could hear them digging through backpacks, chattering with classmates, and shouting about duel monsters cards and strategies. "I can do this," he muttered to himself. After one last steadying breath, he pushed open the door and headed down the stairs between the seats of his students to get to the slightly raised area that held his desk and equipment. It was difficult to keep his hand from clutching around the strap of his black shoulder bag.

"Good afternoon, everyone!" he called out, hoping it wasn't too loud or too quiet.

"Good morning!" it echoed back at him in a perfect chorus which caught Yusei off guard as he dropped his back on the desk.

He turned to look out his students. About two dozens expectant faces looked back at him. "So... since this is just meant to be one and a half hours of introducing ourselves," he started, "why don't I just open the floor to some questions from your end?"

Immediately, every single student's hand shot up.

Yusei felt his eyes widen in response.

He'd been worried about struggling to fill up the full one and a half hours. But maybe he should've been worrying about the opposite.

* * *

Once all the students had left, Yusei was still left behind to close tabs on the wall screen from all the dueling videos the kids had asked to see of him. They'd told him it was to better learn about his strategies so Yusei had felt obliged to go along, even while a part of him had also felt the need to question their motives.

"That duel was so amazing!"

Yusei jumped at the voice and whirled around to find Judai walking down the stairs between rows of empty seats. His gaze was transfixed by the paused video currently up on screen. It was of the duel against Team Taiyo in the WRGP, Yusei noted, as he turned to follow his line of sight.

"I've never seen anyone manage to summon Zushin the Sleeping Giant before _or_ since!"

"Me neither. It was a really tough duel. Team Taiyo were incredible opponents."

"I bet!" Judai said. "I wish I'd gotten to duel them at some point." He sighed and hopped up to join Yusei on the platform. Though where Yusei was standing closer to the screen on the wall, Judai opted to lean back against the big desk.

"Do you miss the pro league?" Yusei asked as he focused back on closing tabs.

"Sometimes," Judai admitted. "But even if... all of that hadn't happened, I still would've left sooner rather than later. I'd been thinking about it for a while already."

"Why?"

Judai seemed caught off guard by the blunt forwardness of the question, judging by his moment of silence. "The pressure, I guess."

"From the media?"

"And the fans, and the general public, the management people, the marketing team, all of it. I felt like they were all pushing me to give up control of my life, no matter how hard I tried to keep those kinds of legal bindings away from me."

Yusei nodded in understanding. "I wouldn't have liked that either."

"What about you?"

Yusei frowned and looked up. "What about me?"

"How are you adjusting to all of these changes?" Judai asked. "I know we kind of pushed you to turn your life upside down for us."

Yusei looked back to close the last four tabs. "You gave me every chance to turn you down and I accepted freely. I wouldn't call that pushing."

"Still."

Yusei switched off the screen and turned to fully look at Judai who was still leaning against the desk, big brown eyes fully focused on Yusei. It was a little overwhelming to have all that attention on him, he had to admit. "I'm happy I took the job. I have no intention of quitting, I can assure you."

Judai shook his head a little without ever letting his gaze waver. "That's not what I was asking. How are _you_ doing? How are _you_ adjusting?"

The intensity caught Yusei off guard again. "I'm... fine. I think the class went well. The students didn't seem bored or intimidated. The Ra yellow kids especially seemed eager to ask questions and learn since they've been seeing me around."

Judai nodded. "Still not what I asked about but go on."

"Um... I'm fully unpacked already. I've got ideas for the lesson plans." Yusei slowed down his words so he could think of something else to say. With how focused Judai still was on him, he didn't feel like he was allowed to quiet down just yet. "I also downloaded some recipes to try out in the dorm kitchen. Though I'll probably have to head out to buy some ingredients."

"You don't have to do that. Just give Johan a list of what you need."

Yusei nodded. "Okay."

"Anything else?" Judai prompted.

Yusei shook his head. His mind completely blank under that watchful stare. He couldn't help but feel like there was something Judai expected him to say or do - but what?

Judai watched him for another moment before he nodded and pushed off the desk. His intense gaze finally fell away from Yusei as his eyes began to wander across the room. He turned to look down at the desk, his fingers drumming across the tabletop as he slowly wandered along. Yusei couldn't help but feel like he was stalling.

"Is there anything you need?" Yusei questioned after letting the silence linger for another moment.

Judai pursed his lips but didn't look up from the desk. "Nope, not really."

"Because I know I haven't handed in my review of the curriculum, but-"

That made Judai look up with a confused look. "What? No. None of that. I just-" He sighed and crossed his arms. "Do you think that I'm..." He drummed his fingers against his upper arm. "Not... good at what I do?"

"What?" Yusei blurted out, completely thrown by the question.

"Do you think I'm a bad headmaster? A bad teacher? Maybe even... unprofessional?" Judai wasn't looking at him. In fact, his eyes were firmly fixed on a spot on the floor near Yusei's feet.

"Why would you think that?"

"I don't know. Maybe because it's true."

"Do _you_ think it's true?"

"Yes. No. Maybe."

Yusei frowned and took a few steps toward Judai, hoping to catch his gaze again. "I think you're doing an incredible thing here, Judai."

Hearing his own name seemed to catch Judai's attention because he looked up to meet Yusei's eyes again.

"You're helping an entire generation of disenfranchised, unprivileged kids. You gave them hope, a home, access to education and regular meals. And not just all of that but you also gave them an environment free of judgment where they can make friends and just _be_ children. There were kids sitting in that auditorium that I've known since the day they were born and not once have I seen them as relaxed and carefree as when they were sitting right there, surrounded by other kids and laughing at your jokes. So if anything, I admire you, Judai. And I feel honored that you invited me to stay here and teach alongside you and your friends."

Judai seemed to be genuinely speechless. His eyes were huge and his mouth was moving but no sound came out.

"Did I say something wrong?" Yusei asked.

Judai shook his head. "No. You didn't. I just- did not expect to hear you say... any of that. In fact, I was kind of expecting the opposite."

Yusei was back to frowning. "Why?"

"Because I'm navigating your space," Judai said. "This is your home. These are your people. They look to you for guidance. I'm just the privileged guy who walked up in here and built a school without any clue of what it means to built a school."

"They're all their own people."

"I know that. Of course I do. But you're still the one who saved them, who fought for them when nobody else would. You and the rest of Team 5D's are living legends here!"

"I vowed to protect them, yes, but-"

Judai cut him off with a headshake. "No but. You may not see yourself the way they see you, but I promise you, you're the hero of so many of these kids. So if you have any doubts about this place, about me, about anyone who works here, now or in the future, I'd love it if you would tell me so I can be better."

Yusei was stunned. What was he supposed to say to any of that? "I... I don't..."

A small smile formed on Judai's face. "I understand." He took a step back which was also the moment Yusei realized how close they'd gotten. Yet, he didn't feel the need to pull away. "But please know that I meant every word of what I just said."

"I... okay."

Judai nodded and slowly started to turn away to leave. "The kids all loved your class, by the way. They all left with a smile on their faces."

"I'm glad."

Judai nodded again and turned away fully to leave.

Yusei watched him go in silence until he'd almost reached the door. "Judai!"

The headmaster stopped and turned to look at him. "Yes?"

"I could need some help with preparing for the exam season."

Judai chuckled. "Come to my office after breakfast tomorrow. We can go over the required elements and everything."

"Thank you."

"Goodnight, Yusei!"

"Goodnight, Judai."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about making Yuma and Astral's story a separate spin-off instead of putting it in here. 
> 
> They'd be getting their own chaptered story with guest appearances of the main characters here. 
> 
> Lemme know if you'd prefer that.


	4. FOUR - Judai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Why did nobody fucking tell me that I posted an early draft of this a couple of days ago?!
> 
> Anyway - here's the real chapter. If you read the early edit you can skip down to the part where Judai has left his office. There're only a few small edits here and there in the earlier sections. 
> 
> Let's never speak of this again.

**ONE MONTH AGO**

"You shouldn't spend so much time indoors, Judai."

Judai opened his eyes to look at the spirit standing beside his bed. Yubel didn't look happy about their current situation which was understandable. The cramped spaces, the tight schedule, the long workdays - Judai hadn't had to deal with any of that between the day he'd used Super-Polymerization and the opening day of the academy. Those days had been spent far away from civilization. Where he could wake up screaming without bothering anyone. Where Haou would have a harder time finding someone to hurt before Yubel could find a way to stop him. Where it was just Judai adjusting to housing two more souls in his body that were constantly fighting him and each other without a single care of what it was doing to the mind and body of the person they were living in.

He could still remember Johan's face the day he'd showed up on his door step weeks after everything had gone down. There'd been a lot of scolding followed by tears and more scolding. Stuff like 'did you even eat a single thing while you were gone?' and 'have you slept at all?' and also 'if I could, I wouldn't let you outta my sight for the next five weeks, but you really need to shower'.

"Stop thinking about him!" Yubel snapped.

Judai narrowed his eyes at the spirit. "I thought you like him now."

"You thought wrong. I tolerate him because he forces you to take care of yourself."

Judai sighed and looked up at the blank ceiling. "You really need to get over that jealousy. You know he's here to stay."

The sound that left Yubel's mouth sounded almost like a hiss. "I'm not jealous."

"You are," Judai said simply. "You can't lie to me, I looked into your heart the day we fused."

"That was ages ago. I'm different now."

Judai chuckled. "Yeah, you are. You big ole softy."

The borderline growl the words earned him only made him laugh harder.

A sudden high-pitched squee rang through the air and made him look up with a happy smile. The sound was followed by a light weight plopping down on Judai's stomach.

"Hane Kuriboh!" Judai's smile turned into a frown when he noticed the look on Kuriboh's face. "What's wrong?" He pushed up onto his elbows to get a better look at the brown fur ball.

A series of squeaky noises emanated from the spirit.

Judai cocked his head, allowing his natural instincts to translate for him. "An Alien? What are you talking about?"

More squealing, this time accompanied by light bouncing which had Judai sitting up fully so he could grab Kuriboh and sit him down on the covers instead. Maybe giving Hane Kuriboh a free pass to use his energy for corporeal manifestation hadn't been 100% thought through. But who could judge him? That brown fur was so soft and comforting. And ever since Kuriboh had allowed Judai to clip his nails, not a single pillow had been destroyed either.

"An alien... spirit? And he lives in a key?" Judai frowned as he listened on. "So you're sure he's not a duel monster spirit?" Judai pressed. 

Kuriboh rolled his eyes and squeaked some more.

Judai raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, fine. I'll talk to the kid but you're not coming with me. Not like this at least."

If Kuriboh weren't mouthless, Judai was sure he'd be pouting. Luckily, Judai had spent years around Sho and Johan so he was immune to the power of a good pout. Mostly. He took the time to ruffle Hane Kuriboh's fur with a big grin before rolling off the bed and heading for the door. His shoes were tugged on in passing as he headed out.

The moment he set foot outside, he could immediately hear the sound of arguing. Or well, at least one half of what sounded like an argument. His curiosity was definitely peaked.

"I'm not just gonna leave!" It was a younger voice, so most likely the student Kuriboh had been talking about. And the yelling was followed by a pause. "No, I won't! I" Another pause. "I can still search for numbers here!" Pause. "Oh, you take that back! Right now!"

Judai found the student standing by the snack machine at the back of the dorm. And going by the red vest he was sporting, he was actually one of Judai's students. Good to know. Another thing that was good to know was that despite what it had sounded like, the kid wasn't actually alone but rather yelling at an annoyed looking white... glowy... floaty... alien. And a seemingly nude one at that. Or maybe the clothing just flowed seamlessly into skin. Who knew? Certainly not Judai. And he wasn't going to ask either because that wouldn't exactly be good etiquette. The inner voice who informed him of that sounded a lot like Edo.

"Hey, kid!" Judai called out. "Why are you yelling at your... friend about leaving and numbers? Is there something I should be made aware of?"

"You can see him?" "You can see me?"

Judai looked back and forth between the kid and alien. "Yup," he said simply.

The kid's eyes widened while the alien's eyes narrowed.

"You're not fully... human," the alien observed. Surprisingly, he didn't sound suspicious or judgmental but rather curious. His voice was still kept low and even, unlike his companion's. This was likely also the reason for the one-sided arguing Judai had overheard.

"What?" the kid burst out. "What do you mean?"

Judai felt Yubel's energy crackle under his skin and allowed it to flow out of him for a just a moment. He knew it'd cause his eyes to flash green and orange. But not just that, it also allowed him to see and sense the connection between this kid and the alien spirit. Their fates were tied together in some way, that much he could tell, but the bond between them wasn't nearly as strong as the one he had with Yubel. At least not yet. Their energies were still clashing, a clear case of two strong personalities colliding. One human and the other... not from this world. Kuriboh had been right. They truly were dealing with the spirit of an alien.

"Wow, what's with your eyes?" The kid's mouth was gaping as he took a step back.

Judai blinked his vision back to normal despite Yubel's silent disappointed protest. "I fused with a duel monster spirit," he simply stated. "It's a long story. And I assume the same goes for you two?"

"Yes," the alien said, clearly still observing. His eyes traced up and down Judai's form as if he were looking for something.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Why should we trust you?" the kid asked. His hand reached up to wrap around his necklace. As if he were scared Judai would try to take it from him. The gesture made Judai frown.

"You don't have to. It was just an offer." Judai stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pants. He hoped the casual gesture would make up for the scary flashing eyes. He'd meant to show that he was different as well in order to give them something to bond over but that may have backfired. It really wouldn't be ideal to have his students be afraid of him. He was supposed to be trustworthy and reliable. "Though I would like to know your name. Since you're, you know, one of my students."

"You're a teacher here?" The kid asked.

"Principal, actually."

The kid's eyes widened." _You're_ Yuki Judai? But you look so young!"

"Um... thanks?"

The kid shook his head. "I'm Tsukumo. Tsukumo Yuma."

Judai smiled. "It's great to meet you Yuma." He looked over at the alien. "And what about you? Are you here to learn as well?"

The alien shook his head. "I'm not here by choice. But I'm sure your establishment will help a lot of other lost children."

Judai cocked his head. "You're tied to Yuma then, huh?"

"Astral lives in the Emperor's Key." Yuma's hold on his necklace tightened. "My dad gave it to me. It led me to a door in my dreams and when I unlocked it, it brought Astral to me."

"Wow. Sounds pretty intense." Judai would've really liked to inspect the key up close so he could get an energy reading on it but he refrained. He didn't want Yuma to get the wrong idea about his intentions. "So what now?" Judai asked, his attention directed at Astral. "Do you know why you were sent here?" 

Astral shook his head a little. "My memories were taken and trapped inside the numbers."

Judai inclined his head. "Okay... That complicates things." He reached up to scratch his neck. "Numbers you said, right? What are those exactly?"

"They're duel monsters cards," Yuma explained.

"What kind?"

"Xyz Monsters."

Juda nodded slowly. "Okay. Thank you for telling me. I'll keep an eye out and do some research." The last few words were said as he patted down his pockets for his vibrating phone. "Damn, that must be Asuka."

"The ceremony!" Yuma burst out.

The vibrating stopped. "Crap. Come on, let's run!"

* * *

**NOW**

Judai was doing his best to build a tower of sharpened pencils on his desk when the door was thrown open and caused him to flinch back before he could destroy his work.

"Got some paperwork for you," Johan said as he waltzed in with a phone pressed to his ear and a small stack of files in his hand.

Judai got up to take the latter from him. "Who's on the line?"

"Kenzan."

"Oooh - hey Kenzan!" Judai called out as he carelessly flung the files over his shoulder and successfully knocked over his tower.

"He can't hear you. He put me on hold while he was sorting some stuff out."

"Oh."

"Now go look at those files and tell me what you think."

Judai sighed but turned to sit back down. He used his arm to push aside all of the pencils while his free hand pulled up the new paperwork. "Sakaki Yuya," he read after flipping open the top file. A tomato-haired kid was smiling up at him as he let his gaze skim over the rest of the page.

"He's a bit of a genius when it comes to summoning," Johan told him. "He's mastered them all except for link summoning."

"That's amazing! But why does he want to come here? It says here he studied in Paradise City at the You Show Duel School. That's not exactly around the corner from here."

"I don't know. But feel free to ask him when he gets here."

Judai looked up with a frown. "You already accepted him? Then why ask me what I think?"

"I knew you'd be eager to meet him so I greenlit him. Was I wrong?"

Judai pouted at having his authority undermined but lowered his gaze without another word to open the next file. "Fujiki Yusaku." He cocked his head and read on. "This isn't about another student."

"It's not," Johan confirmed. "He applied as a teacher."

"But I though we're fully staffed?"

"We are."

"So why does he think he can work here?"

"I may have forgotten to take down the job listings in LINK VRAINS."

"The virtual reality thing? Since when do you even go there?"

"My students made me aware of it. I think you'd like it there, too. There's dueling on surfboards."

Judai leaned back with a sigh. "Could you please make more sense? I'm tired."

Johan put his phone on speaker, likely in case Kenzan returned, and placed it on the desk before rounding the table to join Judai on his side. "Yusaku is no ordinary duelist," he explained as he flipped the first page to reveal a series of newspaper clippings. "He went to hell and back as a kid. And as an adult, too, for that matter. He's mastered all summoning techniques, is a computer wizard, and pretty much just an all around genius."

"So why does _he_ want to come here?"

"Well... he basically doesn't exist in the eyes of the government."

Judai turned to stare at the side of Johan's face. "What are you talking about?"

"He's a hacker and he used his skills to disappear, it seems. The newest legal documents I could find on him are all over five years old."

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a second." Judai leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "So you're telling me this genius hacker who disappeared off the face of the earth for over five years has now chosen to surface again so he could apply as a teacher? At _this_ school?"

"Yes," Johan said simply.

"But why? And how did he even contact you?"

"First of all: you pretty much did the same thing so you don't really get to judge here, and second of all: via email."

Judai slid further down in his chair. "I don't know, Johan. I have so many questions now."

"That's understandable. But I really feel like we need him and he needs us."

Judai searched Johan's face and found a rare earnestness in his eyes. It was tugging at something in Judai's chest, pushing him to open up and understand. Johan was calling on their connection, and he was doing it to get Judai to trust him that he'd made the right call.

Dammit. How was Judai supposed to play devil's advocate now? He was supposed to be the headmaster - all second guessing and research and objective judgments in order to protect the student body. But now Johan was barging in with the puppy eyes and spiritual bond...

"How are we supposed to know you were even talking to the real Fujiki Yusaku?" Judai pushed. Maybe he'd be able to get Johan to be the reasonable one again. He'd always been better at playing the part.

"I had a video job interview with him so I'm quite positive."

Judai shot up from his slouch so fast, his head nearly collided with Johan's. "And you didn't think to invite me?" he called out.

Johan took a step back and shrugged. "You weren't around at the time."

Judai jumped up so he could get back into Johan's personal space. "Not cool, Johan! You're making me look incompetent!"

"No, I'm making you look important and busy."

Judai crossed his arms again as he paused to think. "You are?"

"Yes." Johan reached out to pat his shoulder. "Now go take care of the paperwork so we can get the ball rolling on our new arrivals."

 _"New arrivals, don?"_ a familiar voice jumped in from the phone's speakers.

"Kenzan!" Judai cheered.

"Paperwork!" Johan cut in and snatched up the phone.

The sun was setting by the time Judai got to leave the building and breathe some fresh air. He stretched out his arms and neck for a moment before he headed down the main path and started his journey to the red dorm. Three weeks. That was all the time he had to get everything in order for Yuya and Yusaku. One new student this far into the year already introduced a lot of moving parts, but a new teacher as well? Judai wasn't even sure what to do with him. What had Johan been thinking? He inhaled deeply to calm his thoughts. Well, judging by the files, Johan had seen two traumatized individuals who needed a new home. Much like Johan himself when Judai had first told him about this project.

"- would have been terrified."

Judai looked up and focused his eyes on the path up ahead. 

Yuma and Astral. And Yusei?

"Wait up!" Judai called and immediately set off to jog up behind them. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Yusei's epic sky duel!" Yuma said as he made room for Judai to walk in the middle.

"Against Z-one?" Judai asked. He turned to look at Yusei who seemed a little uncomfortable with all the attention. Or maybe the topic was just dragging up bad memories.

"Yes!" Yuma jumped back in. He sounded excited. "That was literally the most incredible duel I've ever seen! I was glued to my screen even though the live stream was super shaky and kept freezing!"

Judai remembered that day vividly. He'd been terrified. Not for Yusei, because he hadn't known back then what was happening back home, but because he'd been dueling for Johan's soul and the fate of so many others at the same time. His brain had been drowning in fear and adrenaline and hope and frustration and devastation and too many other clashing emotions to the point where he had felt torn apart by it all. He'd been nothing but an empty shell trying to contain the shattered parts of what had formerly been a human being. And then he'd returned back home. Except his home had also been thrown into utter chaos. People who'd fled the city had just been returning. There'd been talk about floating cities and parts of the street had been covered in broken class and chunks of concrete. That newfound state of his supposed home had done nothing to heal his broken heart and mind. So he'd fled. Far far away where no one could find him until he wanted to be found.

"Are you okay?" Yusei asked.

Judai blinked and met his gaze. _'Are you?'_ he wanted to ask but didn't. Not with Yuma there. The kid didn't need to know what trauma they were both hiding."I'm fine!" He put on a smile. "That really was an incredible duel. One day, I'll have to experience those skills in person!"

"Woah! Are you challening him?" Yuma burst out. "Can I watch?"

Yusei's smile was small but there as he looked past Judai to catch Yuma's eyes. His smiles were so rare, Judai kind of wished he could take a picture right now.

"Not today, kiddo," Judai said cheerfully and lightly knocked his fist against Yuma's temple. "But when the time comes, I'll make sure to let you know."

"Observation Number 14: teacher-student relationships are not nearly as straightforward as previously assumed."

Judai frowned over at Astral who in turn seemed to be speaking more to himself than anyone else.

"Ignore him," Yuma advised. "It's what I tend to do."

"Ignore who?" Yusei asked.

"Uuh..." Judai and Yuma made at the same time.

"Nobody," Judai said quickly. "Oh, look, the yellow dorm!" He grabbed Yusei's elbow and pulled him to a stop. "Go on, Yuma, us adults have something to talk about. Shoo! Bed time!"

Yuma and Astral both gave him an odd look. Yusei as well, most likely, but Judai didn't bother to check.

"Go on now!" Judai said and added a shooing hand gesture for emphasize.

"He's as weird as you," Astral stated as Yuma turned to leave.

Yuma shot him a glare.

Judai watched them go for a moment before he dropped his hold on Yusei and took a step back to give him some space. The last time they'd been alone must have been weeks ago at this point. But even so, they'd still fallen into a comfortable rhythm. They closely together at meetings and lunch, they greeted each other in the hallways, and Judai tended to stop by after Yusei's classes every now and again to check up on him. Yet, despite all that, they hadn't had a meaningful conversation since Yusei's first official day here. Things had just been too busy to make time for it.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" Yusei asked after a beat of silence.

Judai nodded, his gaze averted. He wasn't sure if it was his place to ask but... "Did Yuma drag up some bad memories?" He crossed his arms. "You know, about Z-one?"

"I'm okay," Yusei said simply and without hesitation. As if he were used to downplaying his trauma. Judai could relate.

"That doesn't answer my question." Judai looked up to meet Yusei's eyes. He was being serious and he needed Yusei to know that.

"What happened that day," Yusei finally said, "is something I think about every day. And I don't know if that will ever change."

"I understand." Judai tightened his arms across his middle.

Yusei fell silent for a while. It was a tense silence, charged with bad memories and suppressed emotions. "What happened to you while you were gone, Judai?"

Judai could feel Yusei's gaze burn into him even as he lowered his head to stare at the ground. "A lot of things."

"That doesn't answer my question," Yusei echoed.

A humorless chuckle escaped Judai. He rubbed his own upper arms, shifted his weight. He was nervous. Yubel was alert at the back of his mind and so was Haou. Memories clashed in Judai's mind, coming at him from all angles. "Now's not a good time," Judai said. The sun was setting fast and Haou's time was coming. Johan would show up any moment to lock Judai in like every night.

"What's wrong?" Yusei stepped closer and placed a hand on Judai's shoulder.

It was like a spark of electricity against Judai's skin. Haou had been right. Their energies were clashing. Yusei was starlight where Judai was darkness. The universe didn't want them to coexist.

"Judai?" Yusei's free hand came up to land on Judai's other shoulder.

"I think I should go," Judai said softly but made no move to act on his words. He wanted to lean into the touch, not pull away.

 _How selfish you are_.

The familiar voice in his head was getting louder. It was time to go.

"Judai, you're worrying me." Yusei's hold tightened. The action was reflected in his tone.

_You're dangerous._

"Why don't you come inside and eat with us?" Yusei offered.

It was a lovely thought. Him and Yusei sitting with the students. Staying up late, talking. Getting to know each other better. Judai shook his head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

Judai closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. It took him all of his willpower to step back until Yusei's hands dropped from his shoulders.

"Judai?" It was Johan's voice. He'd come to lock him up as per his instructions.

"I'm coming!" Judai got out. He refused to look at Yusei. _Turn and run like the coward you are._

Yusei didn't try to stop him.

"I'll take care of him." Johan's voice was low, surely aimed at Yusei.

A few minutes later, Judai was sitting in his brightly lit basement room. The door was firmly locked and Johan had reluctantly left.

"And now there were two."

Judai looked up to meet golden eyes.


	5. FIVE - Yusei

Yusei couldn't sleep that night. He kept thinking about Judai and the look on his face before he'd turned away from him. He'd seen sadness in his eyes. Longing. Hopelessness. Fear. And Yusei had no idea what could've instilled any of those emotions in him.

He turned over in his bed and stared at his bare room. It made him wonder what Judai's looked like. Did it feel like a home with pictures of his friends and family on the walls? Or did he prefer to keep his room as simplistic as Yusei? Part of him wanted to go and check. If he did, would the light still be on? Or had Judai managed to fall asleep by now? For some reason, Yusei doubted it. He had a feeling Judai was still wide awake over there in the red dorm. Just a few yards away. Close enough for him to walk to within just a couple of minutes.

Yusei pressed his lips together as he weighed his options. 

Judai had wanted to leave. The thought of staying had clearly terrified him. And Johan had gone with him so he hadn't been alone. Those two were best friends, maybe even romantically involved. Regardless, Yusei knew that Johan would've never just left Judai if he was scared. So why did he still feel the need to check on Judai himself? The moon's reflection on his laptop screen couldn't provide him with an answer, no matter how intensely he stared at it across the room.

Five more minutes of overthinking passed before Yusei sighed and rolled out of bed.

He sneaked out of the yellow dorm in the t-shirt and sweatpants he'd been wearing to bed. His footfalls were nearly silent due to years of practice from roaming the streets while dodging sector security officers. It also helped that he lived in another section of the building than the kids.

Once outside, he picked up his pace. The cool wind was great for waking him up fully and clearing his head. Unfortunately, a clear head also meant he was slowly starting to reconsider his current actions. Maybe Judai wouldn't appreciate the late night visit. But Yusei didn't want to imagine him sitting there all alone in his room with that look on his face. Though maybe Johan was still there with him. Well, even if he was, Yusei would have the option to either leave undetected or express his concern in front of both of them. They wouldn't judge him for it, he was sure. They'd understand his need for reassurance.

Mind made up, Yusei approached the door to Judai's room. There was no visible light under the door. Could Judai be asleep already? Yusei clenched and unclenched his hands a few times as he listened to his instincts. Something told him Judai was still awake. There was a restless energy coming from behind that door.

Yusei raised his fist to knock. Once. Twice.

Nothing.

He tested the doorknob and found himself free to enter the room.

It was dark. Even the curtains were drawn. The only light source was the moon shining in from behind him. But even with such little illumination, he could see that the bed was empty. In fact, the entire room was. So where was Judai?

Drawn in by his instincts, Yusei walked further inside. His gaze scanned over the desk on the left, the bed in the far right corner, and the small kitchen against the wall to the right of the door. It would've been a rather unremarkable room, if it weren't for the stairs on the other side of the kitchenette.

The steps lead down and disappeared into darkness. Yusei hadn't even known there was a basement until now and now he'd found the only entrance in the headmaster's bedroom. What could possibly be down there? What was Judai hiding? His instincts told him it wasn't anything good. That he should stay away. Or better yet, turn on his heel and run. But he didn't. Because he could also sense something else. Or rather someone else. Judai. He was nearby. Down there most likely. But why?

Yusei slowly approached the stairs and started to descend.

His heart began to pound in his chest, faster with every step. He could feel the blood rushing to his brain and the adrenaline prickling his hands and feet. His body was getting ready to either run or fight.

It no longer felt like he was going to check up on a friend. It felt more like he was walking into a trap. A trap laid out specifically for him. But by whom?

He could no longer see where he was going. He had to pause every step to feel along the air in front of him so he wouldn't miss a step or walk into a wall or door. Maybe he should've turned on a light. But somehow the thought hadn't even occurred to him. This didn't feel like the place for brightness. Something told him it would've been dangerous or even harmful. To whom or what, he didn't know, but he didn't feel the need to question it either. Not while he was in that presence's territory. And wasn't that a strange thought?

He reached the bottom of the stairs and started feeling the wall in front of him. No. Not a wall. A door. A metal one. His fingers were quick to brush against the handle but upon contact, he could feel a spark of energy zap through him. It made him flinch back with a shudder and gasp. Normally, he would've automatically assumed it to have been static electricity. But that was certainly not what it had been. It had felt different. That energy had rushed through his entire being as if it had been trying to disassemble an essential part of him. What was going on? What was behind that door? And was it trapping Judai in there with it?

The thought pushed Yusei to tug up the hem of t-shirt and use it as a makeshift glove to grab the door handle. He pushed it down. Locked. He didn't like what that implied.

He slowly raised his free hand but it took him a moment to gather enough courage to knock with it. Thump, thump.

Silence.

But then...

Thump.

Yusei gulped. There was no way of denying it any longer. Something was on the other side.

Judai. It had to be Judai.

Normally, Yusei would've simply called out for him to open the door but his throat felt tight and wasn't letting him speak. So he pushed down the handle again. _Let me in._ He sent the thought out to the other side of the door and stopped pushing down.

A moment passed. Then the handle started moving under his hold. The air got trapped in his lungs. The door opened.

It was dark inside. Though not as dark as it had been before. There was a small lamp on the desk to the left which was switched on. The light it emanated was a soft yellow glow that didn't reach very far. But it was enough to illuminate the person in front of him.

"Judai," Yusei got out, even as the blood still rushed in his ears.

"Not right now."

Yusei froze as his eyes met a deep gold.

Not Judai then. The tone of his voice was off. The soft brown of his eyes was gone, replaced by a cold golden hue. Whoever this was, it wasn't the warm and cheerful person he'd been spending so much time with over the last few months.

"Who are you?" Yusei asked. His voice wasn't as commanding as he'd like it to be.

"Doesn't matter."

Yusei drew his brows together. His instincts were telling him to cower in fear. "Where's Judai? What did you do with him?"

"He's still here."

Yusei felt his throat tighten further. His pulse was still going way too fast. He needed to calm down. But how could he when those eyes were still hyper-focused on him?

"You know you shouldn't be here."

"But I am," Yusei stated. And he wasn't about to leave either. Not until he knew what had happened to Judai.

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

The way Yusei's heart was still racing, the way his breathing wouldn't even out, the adrenaline rushing through his veins, the fear climbing up his throat. It did hurt in a way, yes. But not enough to override his worry for his friend. "What did you do to Judai?" he repeated.

The figure moved away from the door and deeper into the room beyond. Yusei followed and closed the door behind him. Something told him he couldn't allow _him_ to leave. That keeping him contained needed to be priority number one.

"Did you hurt him?" Yusei pressed.

"That's subjective."

"Are you always with him?"

The figure moved closer again, almost close enough to touch if Yusei were to reach out. His gaze was cold and calculating as it scanned Yusei's face. "I can smell the fear on you." He tilted his head. The shadows all around the room seemed to move with him. As if they were a part of him. "I can feel the darkness chocking the light inside of you." His voice was weirdly hypnotic. Commanding. "Judai. He could feel it, too. The way your essence is repulsed by him. By us."

"Is that what you told him?" Yusei was almost surprised to hear his own voice again. He hadn't been sure it would still obey him.

The figure took two more steps forward. This close, Yusei could feel the air brush against his skin with his every word. Every single part of him was screaming, crying out in panic but he pushed it all down, tightened his muscles until they were aching. He couldn't leave. He couldn't. He had to stay. For Judai. He forced himself to meet the figure's eyes and shuddered. He'd never seen eyes so cold on a living person. There was beauty in the color but no warmth, no empathy, not a thread of love behind them. Yusei didn't understand how this face and body could be the same Judai inhabited. Nothing about this person felt familiar.

"You long to get away," the figure stated. "Your instincts are trying to warn you and yet you refuse to listen." He moved away one step. Two. All of his movements seemed controlled and calculated. As he slowly moved toward the only light in the room, the darkness seemed to follow him.The thought of that last light dying had Yusei push off the door and follow the figure. "You're a fool." The figure paused to turn and look at him again. "The universe gave you a gift. It gave you powerful survival instincts. And you choose to ignore them. And for what?"

"I know Judai is still in there somewhere. And that he can hear me. I won't leave him alone here with you."

"Do you think he'll thank you for it?"

"No. I'm aware he didn't want me here."

"Good. Because he's screaming in here." The figure tilted his head as if he were listening to something. Yusei could only hear his own breathing and accelerated heartbeat. "He thinks I'll try to harm you."

"Will you?"

Gold. So deep. So bright. So empty. "I could."

"Why didn't you already?"

The figure's eyes narrowed at him. "What makes you think I haven't?"

Yusei tried to keep his gulp subtle. He wasn't sure he succeeded.

"You can feel the darkness, can't you? How it gnaws away at your very being." The figure slowly moved toward him, around him. Yusei could only remain frozen. The tension in his muscles hurt. "I command the shadows, Yusei. And I can wield the darkness as a weapon if I please."

"What's stopping you?" The words hurt Yusei's throat as they scraped past his vocal cords.

"You really don't care for your life, do you?" The figure's hair brushed against Yusei's as he kept rounding him at an agonizingly slow pace. "I'm in control of every particle you stand in, every breath of air that enters your lungs. Your life is in my hands. And yet you keep pushing me."

"I simply want answers."

"What price are you willing to pay to get them?"

Yusei clenched his jaw as he considered the question. Was there a good answer? A right answer?

"Would you let the darkness corrupt your essence?"

Yusei's head turned to face the figure as it brushed along his right side. Their eyes met once more. "Is that what you're trying to do?"

"I never _try_ anything."

 _So it's already happening._ The thought made Yusei's blood run cold. The tension, the fear, the alarm bells in his head. His essence was being corrupted. But what did that even mean? What would happen if he didn't interrupt the process in time?

"You were already tainted before." The figure paused in front of him. His gaze flickered from the dim yellow light to Yusei's eyes. "Just being around him is enough. Judai is a part of me and I'm a part of him. The darkness listens to him. It longs for him to succumb to me. He chose to fight fate instead. It's a fight he cannot win."

"He's not like you."

"You think you know him. You're wrong. You weren't there. And he never told you."

Yusei drew his brows together. "You're talking about what happened while he was missing."

"He was never missing. He was found."

"By you?"

The figure stepped closer and titled his head again. "There's a dying star at your core and you don't even care. All you think about is him. The manifestation of darkness. What does it say about you that you find him so fascinating?"

"It says I'm a good judge of character."

There was a tug at the corner of the figure's mouth. Almost a smile. "You still wonder what I am. Who I am."

"I do."

"I ruled over an entire dimension. I had an army. A castle. I saturated my land in darkness and blood. I reigned supreme as the one true king."

"And who are you now?"

The figure's eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. "I'm the part of Judai he fears the most. When I lift a finger, he cowers in fear." His tone left no room for doubt but his face remained expressionless. "My existence is the reason this room exists. He knows of my power. And it terrifies him."

"But you see yourself as a part of him?"

"I'm everything he would be if he embraced his power."

Yusei nodded slightly. "That means he's everything _you_ would be if you surrendered to your heart."

The former king's eyes narrowed. "You truly are a fool."

"Maybe I am."

"You're on the brink of losing your essence. If you want to live, you should rid yourself of false hopes. They will only prolong your suffering."

"I'd rather suffer than feel nothing."

The figure upheld eye contact for a tense moment before he moved back toward the desk light. Yusei was quick to follow. Something still told him the switched on lamp was important. That it represented something. Judai. Was it Judai's determination that kept the small light alive? Was he also the reason the former king hadn't left the basement? Was he currently fighting to regain control?

"What do you mean when you say I have starlight in me?" Yusei asked quickly, hoping to distract.

The figure turned to face him again. "I believe you already know."

"My connection to the crimson dragon is already gone if that's what you mean."

"Why do you believe it chose you?"

Yusei frowned. A movement that felt strangely rebellious under the figure's watchful eye. "Because we were in a position to wield his power for good. He wanted to help us save the world."

"You truly believe that." The figure's glare was piercing. Almost angry. Yusei felt the cold settle in his gut. "How simpleminded of someone so intelligent."

"Are you saying me and my friends all have starlight in our essence?"

The figure looked down at Yusei's right arm. "You once held the mark of its head. You were the leader of the group. You fought the final battle. Yet you view yourself to be on equal grounds as the rest of them." He met Yusei's eyes once more. "Wasted potential is something you and him have in common. But not for much longer."

"What would happen if my... light were fully corrupted?"

The figure moved toward him and let their shoulders brush in passing. "Your true power will be released."

"And then?" Yusei turned his head. He couldn't let the figure out of his sight. The danger was still pouring off of him in waves.

"There are twelve dimensions. But only two great forces. Once the balance is tipped, only one can reign supreme."

Yusei blinked. He still saw the soft yellow light illuminate the darkness in his periphery. Two great forces. He looked at the former king. Tip the balance and he shall reign supreme. He looked down at himself. Two forces. Did that mean he had the power to balance out the darkness? How?

The figure suddenly straightened up and looked toward the door. His entire expression shifted into something akin to a silent snarl.

"What is it?" Yusei asked. There was panic crawling up in him. What if it was a student?

"It's him."

"Who?"

The figure turned to glare at him. "This won't be pleasant for any of us."

"I don't understa-"

"Judai, it's time to get up!" The voice was muffled by the door.

"Johan?" Yusei mumbled.

Beside him, Judai collapsed without warning at the same time Yusei felt a strong rush of emotions and air rush into him. He quickly pushed forward to catch Judai and lowered them both to the ground.

Judai was unconscious. His eyes were closed, his face soft and familiar. Yusei watched him and focused on his breathing while racing thoughts were barraging his brain. He felt like he'd just risen to the surface from the depths of a lake. A huge pressure had lifted off his chest. His lungs were finally getting the oxygen they craved. An all consuming fear of drowning, that crushing panic, was slowly fading from his mind as it tried to comprehend all the information it had just been given.

"The door... oh no - Judai!" Johan stormed into the room and flipped on the blinding ceiling light. 

The brightness had Yusei cry out in pain and squeeze Judai closer as if he were shielding him from it.

And in a way, he was. The former king was darkness. Therefore Judai contained that same darkness. He just had to learn how to tame it and make it a proper part of himself. Yusei was convinced of that. The world needed the darkness. It needed shadows. It needed the night. This darkness the figure had spoken of could only be as bad or evil as the person who wielded it. And Judai was the polar opposite of any of those traits - he was warm and caring. So him in control of the force of darkness would really be the ideal outcome.

Now Yusei only needed to figure out how to convince Judai of that.


	6. SIX - Judai and Yusei

**\- JUDAI -**

When Judai woke up, it was on a soft familiar bed. He wasn't alone. There were low voices nearby. He could feel the presence of their owners. Johan and Yusei. What were they doing in his room? And why did he feel so tired? It took a lot of effort and self-encouragement to get his eyes to blink open.

Warm and gentle sunlight was illuminating his surroundings. It was morning. What had happened after Johan had locked him in?

"Judai!" Yusei said. There was an usual urgency to his tone. He almost sounded... worried?

"Yusei. What're you doing here?"

"You don't remember," Johan said. He was standing over Judai's bed now with a furrowed brow and crossed arms. Judai knew the look. It usually meant a lecture was incoming.

"How're you feeling?" Yusei had crouched down beside him and was now reaching out to place a bare hand on his forehead as if to check for a fever.

"I'm okay. Just a little tired." He gently pushed Yusei's hand aside. "But seriously, what happened? What're you both doing here?"

Yusei seemed hesitant as he looked up at Johan. Their eyes met for a moment and Judai sighed.

"I'm not a child. Just tell me what happened!" He tried not to wince as he sat up. It felt like he'd been putting himself through an extended full-body workout. Every muscle was aching and protesting. "Was it Haou?"

The look on Yusei's face was confirmation enough.

Judai sought out Johan's eyes but his face was set in a stony expression. "Did I..." Judai started hesitantly. "Did _he_...?"

Johan shook his head. "He didn't hurt anyone. He didn't get out of the room. Yusei made sure of that."

The shock and fear settled as a cold weight in Judai's heart and stomach. When his eyes met Yusei's, he felt his throat tighten. "You were in there with... How long?"

"I'm not sure." Yusei's tone was infuriatingly calm.

"Why did you...? Why would you-?" Judai clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut. "He could've kil-" He cut himself off and pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. "I could've woken up to your corpse on the- on the floor and with blood on my hands. Why would you-? I specifically told you not to-" A frustrating chocked-off scream squeezed past his throat. He dropped his hands and glared at Yusei. "You need to leave. Right now."

"What?" For the first time since they'd met, Yusei looked truly confused and caught off guard.

"Leave. Now. It's not safe here." Judai cleared his throat and looked away to the basement stairs. "No. Wait. That's- that's not fair to you. It's me who... I have to- to leave." His voice trailed off and he squeezed his eyes shut. _Fuck._ He thought he'd have more time. He'd really believed he could find a way to keep everyone safe while still finding happiness for himself. He'd been so naive. So hopeful. _It hurts to have that taken away, doesn't it?_ Judai clenched his fists and forced himself to crawl to the foot of the bed where he climbed off.

"Where do you plan on going?" Johan asked. His tone was indiscernible. A bad sign.

"Far away," Judai got out and tried to recall where he'd put his backpack.

"Who will keep an eye on you when he takes over again?"

"I'll be so far away it won't matter."

"It would matter if he remains in charge."

Judai dug his nails into his palms. "Yubel wouldn't let that happen."

"He's stronger than Yubel." Johan's tone was gentle now. So familiar. Caring. 

Judai forced back the tears. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Don't run away from the people trying to help you."

"I don't want to hurt anyone." Judai's vision was getting blurry. "He- I-" He squeezed his eyes shut. "There were already so many."

"I know." Johan's hand was warm on his shoulder.

Judai couldn't stop himself from turning around and crashing into Johan's embrace. There was no holding back the tears anymore.

* * *

"What did he say to you?" Judai asked. He was sitting cross-legged in the center of his bed while Yusei was occupying the pulled up desk chair. Johan had been forced to leave so he could keep the school running while Judai was in crisis mode.

"He said a lot of things."

Judai raised his eyebrows to give Yusei a pointed look.

Yusei took a visibly deep breath. His shoulders rise and fell with it. His gaze was averted now. "He spoke a lot about light and darkness. How it supposedly cannot coexist forever."

Judai nodded. He was familiar with that kind of talking. Haou's ideology was one of extremes. Peace and coexistence was an illusion. There was only destruction and conquering. He was against everything Judai so adamantly believed in.

"And he..." Yusei laced his fingers together. "He said us- we can't coexist because of that."

Judai only nodded again. "Because of your essence." He wrapped his arms around himself and looked down at his bed sheets. "He's right, you know? I can feel it, even right now when I focus on it."

"Feel what?"

"You were born to save he world. To bring light to the hopeless." Judai tightened the hold on himself. "I was destined to hurt. To destroy. I fought the light of destruction. I sealed part of it away but it's still out there. Then I thought I'd defeated the pain and- and evil within me when I defeated Darkness but Haou just came back again. I- I thought I could wield his power to help and do good but... He just wanted me to feel secure and let my guard down while he recovered. I don't think I'll ever find peace, Yusei. I'll forever fight the darkness inside of me. And the universe will forever fight all of me."

"What do you mean?" Yusei's voice sounded weirdly hoarse.

"I'm too powerful." Judai met Yusei's eyes with a watery smile. "I can manifest spirits. I can see what humans should never be able to see. I fused myself with another entity. I can- I could hurt people with their own shadows. No human should be able to do that. The universe... it doesn't think I should exist. I know that. I feel it. Every waking moment. It wants me gone but... I can't let it win. I can't let it hurt Yubel. That means I can't let it hurt me."

"Judai..."

"So many people have gotten hurt because of me. I left to protect them and find my own path. I wanted to see the world and find answers. I sought out spiritual guides because I was hoping someone could tell me how to defeat Haou or at least control him." Judai chuckled humorlessly. "But every time they looked into my soul and found that darkness, they chased me away. Some called me demonic. Some saw me as the bringer of the end. Some begged me for mercy. I never wanted to remember what that feels like."

"He's not you, Judai."

"He's a part of me."

"If that's true, then you can control him."

Judai shook his head. "I've tried to. Many times. He's stronger than me, stronger than Yubel - do you really think I'd ever allow him to be in charge if it were avoidable?"

"You're powerful, Judai." Yusei leaned in closer. His blue eyes were insistent, the force behind them intense. "You said it yourself: you're so powerful the universe doesn't even know what to do with you."

"That's all Haou's power."

"But you claim Haou's a part of you. So all that power can't just be his, right? It's yours too. This body is yours. This soul is yours. You have the power to manifest and warp reality around you. There's no way you can't learn to control a piece of yourself."

"You don't know what he-"

"Maybe I don't," Yusei cut in. "But I know the kindness in your heart. I've seen it and felt it just like every student in this academy you've built from the ground up. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be at peace with who you are."

Judai could feel the tears well up in his eyes again. "I don't know if that's possible."

"Then we'll make it possible."

* * *

**\- YUSEI -**

**3 WEEKS LATER...**

Yusei woke up with Johan sleeping on top of him again. That man truly was a sleep-cuddler, Judai had been right about that.

"Wake up," Yusei mumbled and shook the shoulder Johan was using as a pillow.

"Five more minutes."

"Could you switch off the alarm then?"

"Oh... yeah..." Johan rolled over to hit the alarm clock on Judai's nightstand.

They were both sleeping in Judai's room these days while Judai himself was locked up in his basement. The bed was now also pushed right in front of the stairs, just so there was no way for Haou to escape at night without either of them noticing. Or so they hoped at least. So far, nothing had happened since Yusei's encounter with him. It was unlikely to remain that way forever.

"I need to check in with my kids," Yusei said as he sat up.

"'kay."

"Make sure to wake up Judai on time."

"Hm-hm."

Yusei sighed. He'd always thought Johan was the responsible one but in the mornings, he and Judai were both like toddlers. "You should check in with the Obelisks as well."

"I will. In five minutes."

* * *

When Yusei got to the yellow dorm, he was confronted with a bright-eyed teen standing in the foyer and staring up at the ceiling in wonderment. Going by the yellow and white jacket, this kid was one of his.

"Good morning," Yusei said softly as to not startle the student.

The kid immediately whirled around with a dazzling smile. Alright. Not a kid. He was quite sure this was someone above the age of sixteen. Which was unusual but not unheard of at the academy. Age didn't really seem to matter. Yusei was convinced he'd even seen two or three people his age in one of the advanced courses. "This place is amazing!"

Yusei smiled at the enthusiasm. "I'm glad you like it. You must be Sakaki Yuya."

"I am! Are you a teacher?"

"That and the head of the yellow dorm."

"That's so cool!" Yuya bounced closer and his eyes wouldn't stop trailing across Yusei's face. "You're Fudo Yusei, aren't you?"

"Nice to meet you."

Yuya's smile was absolutely blinding. "I can't believe you teach here! You're amazing! Can I shake your hand?"

Yusei blinked and slowly offered his hand which Yuya grabbed with both of his.

"I'm a huge fan! I mean, I'm a show duelist but your duels always had me at the edge of my seat! When you were down to one card and kept using card effects from the graveyard, I was shaking! It was so incredible!"

"Um, thank you."

Yuya let go of his hand but pushed up on his toes. "There's so much I want you to teach me."

"I actually heard you already mastered all the summoning methods," Yusei replied with an encouraging smile, "so I'm sure you could teach the rest of us."

Yuya shook his head. "I got the basics down but I could be so much better!"

"Then I guess you're at the right place."

The excitement radiated off Yuya. "I feel at home already!"

* * *

"Yusei!"

Yusei turned around to see Johan catch up with him in the hallway. "The new teacher is here!"

"Okay."

"He's waiting in Judai's office. I told him I'd fetch someone to show him around."

"And that someone is me?"

Johan offered a sunny smile.

"Alright then."

"I heard you already met Yuya as well," Johan said as he walked alongside him toward the office halls.

"I did. He seemed really eager to learn."

"He is! Most of our older students are extremely hard-working but his energy reminds me more of our younger ones."

"How old is he?"

"Eighteen."

Yusei nodded. "I hope he'll be able to find some friends."

"He seems the type to make friends fast."

* * *

Fujiki Yusaku was a quiet one. He seemed rather trapped in his own thoughts at all times. The expression on his face and his posture demanded distance and silence from everyone who approached him. It helped Yusei understand how he himself was claimed to come across to most people.

"This is the blue dorm where you'll be staying," Yusei stated.

"Okay."

"Do you want to see your room or complete the tour first?"

"I want to see the rest of the academy grounds."

"Okay."

There was a lot of silence involved. Clipped answers and straight to the point questions. Yusaku wasn't rude or mean but intimidation seemed to come naturally to him and the seriousness of his expression made him appear older than he truly was. That twenty-one year old mind and body had suffered through great trauma. Yusei could sense it, even if he didn't know the details behind it.

"-you talking to?" 

Yusei frowned and looked around himself until he caught sight of Yuya half hidden behind a nearby tree. He seemed to be talking to someone.

"No one!" Ah, Yuma.

"That's fine. I talk to myself too. A lot, actually!" Yuya sounded cheerful.

"Has anyone ever told you your hair looks like a tomato?"

"Yuya! Yuma!" Yusei called out. "Lunch break is almost over!"

Yuma peeked around the tree while Yuya immediately came rushing over. "Professor Fudo!"

"Just Yusei is fine."

"Who are you?" Yuya's smile was bright as he looked at Yusaku. "Are you a new student, too?"

"I'm a teacher."

Yuya cocked his head. "But you're so young."

"Most teachers here are."

Yuya looked a way for a moment. "I guess you're right. Huh."

"Are any of you even qualified to teach then?" Yuma asked as he went to join them.

Yuya seemed stunned by the straightforward remark. He turned to stare at Yuma.

Yusei had to admit that Yuma had every right to ask that question. He was pretty sure none of them had the qualifications to be teachers outside of the Academy. Judai truly had stumbled into these waters blindly. If they weren't centered in Satellite, the government would most likely have launched an investigation into their teaching practices by now.

Luckily, the sound of the bell saved Yusei from having to discuss the topic with Yuma. "Back to class now, boys."

"Right," Yuya said quickly. "I'll see you later then, Professor Fudo aaand..."

Yusei glanced at Yusaku who was looking somewhere up ahead with a thoughtful expression. "His name is Fujiki Yusaku."

Yuya smiled. "Bye then, Yusaku."

"Don't you mean Professor Fujiki?" Yuma teased.

"Oh... yes, I guess."

Yusei sighed. "Just get to class, you two."

The students were out of ear shot within seconds as they raced each other to their next lessons. It seemed Yuya had made a friend already.

"The students here aren't divided by age," Yusaku stated.

"No, it's skill based." Yusei frowned. "At least it was supposed to be. Though Yuya excelled in his entrance exam but still ended up in Ra yellow. I'm unsure how that happened."

"Maybe because of his attitude."

It wasn't clear to Yusei if that was meant to be an insult so he let it drop. "Let's wrap up the tour."

* * *

**\- JUDAI -**

"What do you think of our new arrivals?" Judai asked on their way back to the Osiris dorm. While he was trying to limit his time around the students, he still had his duties to fulfill and both Johan and Yusei were continuously encouraging him not to neglect them despite his worries. He had to admit they were right. While Haou was a constant threat, he'd also never managed to take over instantly. There were always warning signs and as long as Judai was conscious of that, he'd have the time to isolate himself before things got out of hand.

"Yuya seems happy and enthusiastic to be here," Yusei reported. "Yusaku on the other hand... I worry about him. I think he's shouldering a great burden."

"Oh... maybe I should talk to him."

"I think that would be a good idea. You're good at getting through to people."

"At least I used to be," Judai blurted out and averted his gaze. _Self-pity doesn't suit you. You're making yourself look pathetic._

"Don't listen to him, Judai," Yubel said gently.

Judai looked up at them and nodded.

"Is that... Is that Yubel?" Yusei sounded awed.

Judai whirled around to look at him. "You can see Yubel?"

Yusei nodded but his gaze remained on the spirit.

"Woah, since when?"

"This is the first time."

"Have you ever seen other spirits?"

Yusei frowned thoughtfully.

"Have you ever seen a floating white glow-y alien spirit near Yuma?" Judai prompted.

Yusei blinked and met Judai's eyes. "I think I've seen a glow near him once or twice."

"Huh. That's interesting."

"Maybe he's a late bloomer," Yubel said.

Judai chuckled.

Yusei's face seemed a little flushed as he looked back ahead.

Judai didn't get the chance to admire the sight before he felt a wave of emotions from Yubel together with the warm presence of Johan. Before his friend could even say anything, Judai had already slowed down and turned around to greet him with a smile and wave.

"I could use your help!" Johan said. He sounded a little out of breath.

Judai frowned. "Why, what happened?"

"Yuya and Yuma are dueling without permission."

"Against each other?" Yusei asked.

"Yes."

Judai's frown deepened. "Why?"

"They said, and I quote, 'because it's fun' and something about a cat playing bingo."

"Kattobingu," Yusei mumbled.

"Should I be punishing them for it?" Judai asked.

"You're the headmaster, that's up to you," Yubel replied.

"I kind of just want to watch..." Judai said sheepishly.

Johan sighed. "That doesn't surprise me. Let's just go supervise."


	7. SEVEN - Yuya, Yuma, Judai, and Yusaku

Yuya was standing with his back to the main building as he looked at Yuma several feet away from him. They were only a few turns into their duel and things were already getting extremely heated on Yuma's side. Heated in the sense that he kept arguing with the white floating alien spirit to his right who apparently only Yuya and Yuma could see. At least judging by the kids who'd begun to gather around them and kept gossiping about Yuma's mental state and how some of them had also caught him talking to empty space in the past.

"No, I don't need your help!" Yuma snapped. "This duel is just for fun! If it's not part of the mission, you don't get to tell me what to do!"

The alien - Astral, Yuya was pretty sure Yuma had called him a few weeks ago - sighed and closed his eyes. "Yuma-"

"No! Shush! I set two cards and end my turn!"

"I draw!" Yuya announced after glancing at Astral who seemed tired as he crossed his arms. Yuya's attention was snapped back to his own actions the moment his fingers made contact with the top card on his deck. He felt a deep sense of foreboding rush through him. It crawled under his skin and settled like a weight in his gut. His hand was shaking as he turned the card to face him. "What is-" 

"He drew a number!" Astral stated.

"What?" Yuma burst out.

Yuya felt a stabbing pain in his temple as all the voices in his head cried out as one. He gritted his teeth and tried not to topple over as he curled into himself. His own thoughts were telling him to let go of the card but his fingers refused to cooperate. They clutched on tighter. "What's happening?" 

_"Wow."_ Zarc sounded breathless.

 _"Uh, Yuya..."_ Yugo sounded worried. Not a good sign _._ Neither was the burning sensation Yuya felt right below his collarbone. _"I think there's something wrong with Zarc..."_

 _"Do you feel that?"_ Yuto asked. _"That card, it's emitting something. It feels... powerful."_

 _"Well, I'm feeling fantastic!"_ Yuri jumped in.

 _"I feel so... alive."_ There was something like awe in Zarc's tone now.

 _"Yuya!"_ Yugo sounded alarmed. _"I think you should do something to contain him now!"_

 _"But I can feel it too, Yugo,"_ Yuto said. _"Can't you sense it? That energy? The strength?"_

 _"Yes, that card is funky,"_ Yuri agreed.

 _"Did you just say 'funky'?"_ Yugo sounded confused.

"Could you all please be quiet for a minute, I can't think!" Yuya bit out. And he meant it. All those voices, those personalities, the experiences, the memories, they were never meant to be contained within just one body. They were separate people all shoved together into one and right now, it felt like the spirits he was hosting were taking over.

 _"What is there to think about?"_ Zarc asked. _"Use the card! Look at your side of the field - it's perfect!"_

 _"He's right, Yuya,"_ Yuto said, though he sounded off. _"I don't know where it came from but we might as well use it. We have everything we need to construct the overlay network."_

 _"It could help us win,"_ Yugo admitted.

 _"Since it will most likely make things more interesting..."_ Yuri trailed off for a beat. _"Yes, I'm with those idiots, just do it_ _already!"_

Yuya no longer felt in control. Regardless, the main phase commenced. Words were being said with his mouth but they sounded muffled to his own ears. His hand was shaking as it gathered up the overlay units and placed the foreign card on top but his vision was too blurry to properly make out the monster that appeared in front of him. Its surrounding Xyz units streaked like shooting stars in front of his eyes.

The duel continued but Yuya could no longer follow. He couldn't even think. His mind was blank. His emotions numbed.

 _"Activate our trap card already!"_ Yuto ordered.

Yuya flinched as he was partially dragged back to the here and now. He hadn't heard Yuto that cold and angry in a long time. It didn't feel right. None of this did. "I'm activating my trap!" he heard himself call out before everything went fuzzy again. He didn't know how he still managed to remain upright.

"Yuya!"

That was Yuma's voice... Yuya squinted as he tried to focus on his surroundings to seek him out.

"Listen to me, Yuya! You're stronger than the number! It's trying to control you with the darkness and desires in your heart but you're a good person! Don't let it turn you into something you're not!"

Yuya clenched his jaw as the words trickled into what was left of his consciousness. 

_"Don't listen to him,"_ Zarc said. _"What does he know? He doesn't have the slightest clue of what humanity is like! He's just a kid! We both know there's darkness inside everyone!"_

 _"Not in Yuya,"_ Yuto argued. He almost sounded like himself again. _"He just wants people to be happy and have fun! I_ _t's us who've tainted him..."_

 _"And now we're a part of him,"_ Yuri jumped in. _"And we've got nowhere else to go so suck it up - Yuya's not as pure as you'd like him to be. Not anymore."_

 _"Yuya!"_ Zarc commanded. _"Let me take over and teach that kid a lesson!"_

 _"Oh no... this feels familiar."_ Yugo's tone was weary. _"I just wanna win and move on with my life. Let's just get some more dragons on this field, win this thing, and get back to planning how I can get Yusei to build us a D-wheel. You know, since_ someone _made Yuya sleepwalk and_ _p_ _ushed mine off the side of a cliff."_

 _"You seriously want to talk about this now?"_ Yuri asked.

_"Yes! Why would anyone do something like that? It's such a waste!"_

_"I wanted to see it explode,"_ Yuri said casually. _"It's not like you could've used it anymore."_

 _"Will you people just shut up!"_ Yuto called out. _"There are more important things happening right now! We're in the middle of a duel and Zarc is trying to take over! We all want to win but I don't want people to die again! I've seen enough death to last me several lifetimes!"_

Yuya was getting nauseous. Too many voices, too many emotions. He could feel the rage, the fear, the ambitiousness, the shock, all blurred together as it flooded his mind and body. The only discernible emotions were the overwhelming dread from his own thoughts and Yuri's disinterest and underlying sadistic desire to see destruction unfold but even that was beginning to diffuse within the waves.

"What's going on here?" a far away voice asked.

"Professor Fujiki!" a student said.

"The Osiris red challenged the Ra yellow," another student said. "I think, at least. Maybe it was the other way around."

"They violated school rules!" yet another jumped in.

"Yuya!" Yuma called out again. "Can you hear me?"

"What's wrong with Yuya?" There was an urgency to the teacher's - Yusaku's - tone.

"He drew a number!" Yuma explained.

"This duel ends now!" Yusaku ordered.

"No, it can't!" Yuma cried out. "I need to win!"

"That is _not_ important right now!"

"It is! Astral needs to absorb the card to regain his lost memories!"

"What?"

Yuya squeezed his eyes shut, clutched his head, and screamed. He needed everyone to just shut up. Too many voices. Too many emotions. Too many thoughts and worries and factors to consider. He just wanted- no, he needed for all of this to be over! "I activate Odd-Eyes Xyz Gate to bring back Odd-Eyes and Dark Rebellion!"

_"Yuya, don't you think that's a little too extreme-"_

_"Shut up, Yugo!"_ Zarc snapped. _"All of you... holding me back. You're nothing but worthless pieces, nothing but copies of me. I made you! All of you! And I could destroy you just as easily. So how about you all collectively shut up and let me do what I do best!"_

Zarc's words, his tone, sliced through Yuya's mind and left it in shambles. Its pieces dissolved into nothingness. All that was left were fragments of who he used to be. Scattered in an endless void. Nothing but the broken parts of a larger whole that could still exist without him. And wasn't that how it had all begun for him as well? Just a piece of someone else. An abandoned part waiting to be reunited and wreak havoc. An entire life lived on borrowed time. A meaningless existence created by a larger force. A pawn in the planned destruction of the earth.

"Let's give the people what they want: a good show!"

Yuya was no more.

* * *

"What just happened?" Yuma whispered.

Beside him, even Astral seemed frozen. "The number, it... set something free."

There was a darkness around Yuya. No, not Yuya. Not anymore. It was his body but his mind was no longer in charge. The darkness that seeped out of the figure gathered around it like a shield. No light could get in. The normally kind red eyes now emanated a threatening fiery glow, the sunshine smile was now a broad merciless grin. The figure was hunched over as if the darkness were weighing it down. Even the curve of its fingers made it seem like it was used to having claws instead of short nails. Whatever this was, it didn't seem human. Yuya had been replaced by a predator. And Yuma would have to duel it. And he'd have to win. For Astral.

"What do I do?" Yuma got out. He couldn't take his eyes off his opponent. The thought of not knowing what it was doing was too unsettling.

"We win," Astral replied.

"How? Look at hi- it. What if us winning puts Yuya in danger?"

"So you want to lose?" Astral asked.

Yuma gritted his teeth. "Of course not! Then you'd-" He suppressed a frustrated scream. 

"I'm stepping in." 

Yuma's eyes widened as Mr. Fujiki appeared by his side and remained expressionless, even as he took the newcomer penalty. "Mr. Fujiki..."

"What's going on here?" 

Yuma nearly toppled over in his haste to lean forward and look past his teacher. "Judai!"

"You call him Mister but your headmaster-"

Yuma cut Astral off by waving in his general direction. "Judai, stay back! Something's wrong with Yuya!"

"I can see that, thank you, Yuma!" Judai turned to look at Yusei. "Get the students inside the assembly hall!"

"And fetch my duel disc from the office!" Johan added.

Yusei nodded and went to work without another word.

"Didn't I send you to oversee the duel, not join in?" Johan asked.

"It got too dangerous," Mr. Fujiki replied.

"Enough chit-chatting!" the looming figure across the field shouted. "We're here to duel!"

Yuma flinched at its threatening tone. How could he let himself get distracted?

"I believe it's your turn, child!" The grin on its face broadened. Something that hadn't seemed possible before.

Yuma glanced down at his cards. He had nothing that would help him settle this quickly. "I draw!" Still nothing. Dammit. "I set two cards and end my turn!"

"My turn!" Mr. Fujiki announced.

Things escalated quickly after that. Life points were lost and regained, traps and counter traps were activated too fast for Yuma to keep up with. The dark being was a force to be reckoned with but so was Mr. Fujiki. At present, Yuma wasn't sure he'd be able to win against either of them - a fact that made him feel more like a spectator than participant at times.

"Yuma, you need to focus!" Mr. Fujiki called out.

Yuma was startled out of his stupor. "I _am_ focused!"

"No, you're not," Mr. Fujiki stated.

Yuma pressed his lips together and clenched his fists as he looked at his opponent. "Yuya's my friend."

"I know. But he's no longer your opponent in this duel. If you want to help him, beat whatever it is that overtook him."

"But how do I know me winning won't hurt him further?"

"And what do you think losing will accomplish?"

Yuma threw up his hands and clutched his head in frustration. "I don't know! I don't know anything anymore! I just wanted a fun duel!"

"Fun and dueling don't really go together in my experience."

Yuma lowered his hands and looked over at his teacher. But Mr. Fujiki wasn't looking at him. Instead, his gaze was stuck on their opponent. The expression on his face was dead serious.

"There's gotta be a way to bring Yuya back," Johan said, though it was barely loud enough for Yuma to hear.

"Maybe," Judai replied. "But if... if he's anything like me, it won't be easy."

Yuma was quite certain he'd never heard Judai that serious.

"You people and your _talking_!" the looming figure shouted. "There's no saving Yuya! Yuya was never real to begin with!"

"What're you talking about?" Judai stepped forward, distancing himself from the position of an audience member but not yet intervening the duel.

The figure cocked its head. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because I'm asking."

"Your logic is very flawed."

Yuma could see the corner of Judai's mouth turn up but the smile seemed dishonest. "I can see the souls trapped within that body," he stated. And for just a second, Yuma was certain he saw his eyes flash to orange and green. "They seem very real to me!"

"Those four were nothing more than pieces of me. Pieces I set free and recaptured. I'm only claiming what's rightfully mine."

"And how long were they free?" Johan replied. "One year? Two? Five? Ten?"

"Were you controlling them during those years?" Mr. Fujiki added. "Or did they all have their own free will?"

Glowing red eyes rolled in annoyance. "I thought this was a duel, not an interview! And you people call yourself duelists?"

"We're humans first!" Mr. Fujiki responded. Something about the way he said those words grabbed Yuma's attention. He felt like there was something more to that. Some kind of backstory.

"But not all of you are fully human, are you?" Red eyes settled their gaze on Judai.

* * *

The darkness was suffocating. Judai could sense it in himself and all around Yuya's body. It was an impenetrable shield wrapped around the powerful being inhabiting his student. 

_He's no regular human either._

Yubel was right, of course. Five souls trapped within one body. All with separate lives and personalities. Judai had read everything Asuka had dug up on Yuya and Yusaku in her free time. And while she hadn't been able to find much on Yusaku, she'd certainly found some... interesting rumors revolving around Yuya. Stuff about inter-dimensional travel, about armies and war, about reincarnation. He'd assumed some of it had to have been nothing more than actual rumors but now... The dark power radiating off of this being was undoubtedly real. And it had been building up inside its host for quite some time it seemed.

"Complete your turn, Yuma," Yusaku said.

"I- okay."

Judai tore his gaze away from glowing eyes to check on Yuma.There was a tremor in his hand as his fingers floated across the cards he was holding. "I can't just stand by and watch," Judai stated.

"Yes, you can," Johan cut in.

"He's my student!" Judai replied. "They both are!"

"It's too dangerous."

"I know, that's why I want to-"

"Not because of that," Johan interrupted him.

Judai clenched his fists as he felt his muscles tighten.

"I know you can feel that dark power even more than me."

"You think I'll lose control?"

"I think you may if you go head-to-head against that force."

"What about you then?"

"I'll step in when Yusei comes back with my deck and disc."

"Okay..." Judai squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before he looked over at the black aura. The glowing red eyes were piercing through the darkness and boring right into his.

"Definitely not fully human, no, no, no." There was intrigue in the being's tone.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on your opponents?" Judai shot back.

"I've always dueled for the audience."

Johan placed a hand on Judai's shoulder and tugged him back to his side. "We felt the need to evacuate your audience so you're clearly doing something wrong!"

"It's time to bring out Number 39: Utopia!" Yuma called out. Judai was impressed with how steady his voice sounded. Though he assumed it had something to do with Astral who seemed to be closer to the ground and his partner than before.

_Light and darkness, always at war._

Judai ducked his head as he heard Haou's voice echo through his mind. 'What're you talking about?' he thought back.

_Just look to your left._

Judai looked at his currently possessed student. The glowing red in the darkness.

_And now to your right._

'Yuma is the light?' Judai asked despite his better judgment. He shouldn't be interacting with Haou, he knew that. But... his students' lives could be on the line and Haou might know something he could use to help them.

_The alien that descended from the stars to join forces with a child. A white light against a black cloud. It always comes down to this, doesn't it?_

'Yuma will win and we'll get Yuya back.'

_Perhaps. Temporarily. Darkness always wins._

'No, it doesn't. Never has and never will. We need balance. I can't allow either side to win.'

_So you've now declared eternal war to both sides?_

'If that's what it takes. Darkness tried to eradicate humanity. But the Light was no better when it possessed Yubel.'

_You're so naive for someone with so much blood on their hands._

Judai clenched his fists. 'Shut up.'

_I could help you win this duel for them, you know?_

Judai looked up at the field. There was currently no telling who the winner would be but Yusaku was clearly pushing double duty to protect Yuma as well. That kid was still so young... They weren't even halfway through year one and Judai was already forced to stand by as his students faced dark forces.

_You want to protect them, don't you?_

Of course he did but Johan had been right: going toe-to-toe with such a dark force while he still wasn't in control of Haou was not the way to do it. He could be putting all of them in even more danger.

"Asuka is currently talking to the students to calm them down."

Judai jumped at the sudden appearance of Yusei's voice behind him. He turned to watch him approach with a set expression and eyes that kept flickering across the field and between the duelists.

"Do you want me to step in as well?" he asked as he handed Johan his duel disc and deck.

Judai looked back over at the looming creature. The expression on its face still remained a superior smile. Its confidence clearly hadn't been even the slightest bit shaken. "Please do."

* * *

Yuya was floating in nothingness. A vast black void of heavy darkness that seeped into his lungs and brain, left him unable to think or feel or breathe. He couldn't recall how he'd ended up here. And there was no way to say if he'd ever escape.

* * *

Yusaku hated the uncertainty of his situation. He didn't know his opponent or his teammates or any of their decks which left him unable to predict anyone's strategies but his own. All he knew was he'd win. Because he had to. He didn't really understand the stakes of this duel but losing wasn't an option, that much was clear. He couldn't recall the last time it had been.

He wished Ai were by his side. His annoying presence had been calming. Had distracted him from memories relived in therapy over and over again. Electrocution. Hunger. Loneliness. Three things. Three reasons to stay alive. Now wasn't the time to think about that.

It was four against one now and still their opponent refused to go down. The looming dark presence was uncanny. Nothing like the open and friendly individual he'd met and seen around since he'd gotten to the academy. Why or how this had happened, he didn't know. In fact, he didn't even know what exactly had happened. Or what had transpired between Not-Yuya and Judai earlier. But now certainly wasn't the time to focus on his own confusion and curiosity.

"Amethyst Cat, direct attack!" Johan called out beside him.

Yusaku watched their opponent take the hit without as much as a flinch. There were still way too many life points left to eradicate. This duel was far from over.


	8. EIGHT - Yuya

Weightless, yet heavy.

Empty, yet drowning.

Feeling, yet numb.

Was he even real?

Was any of this real?

Was he human? Was he corporeal? Was he a concept? A piece? A whole? Was he thinking? Were these his thoughts? Did they come from him? Were they given to him? 

_Is he breathing?_

He had a body. Out there. Somewhere. At least he'd had one. At some point. Somewhere. It was hard to remember. Hard to pinpoint the memories. 

It all felt so far away. Felt. Feeling. Sensations. Air on his skin. Wind in his hair. Gravel under his feet. 

_Can you feel a pulse?_

What did it mean to be alive? What qualified as alive? Why was he thinking about it?

Darkness. Everywhere. It couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't scheme or plan or feel. It just was. Yet if felt alive. To him. It envolped him.

Did he feel alive to it as well?

_Can you hear me?_

Voices. Sound. Music. Vibrations.

He could remember the feeling of applause and cheers in his ears, his feet, his chest.

A deep bass reaching his heart and making him shivver. How could sound be palpable?

_Focus on me. Focus on my voice!_

Human contact. Touch. Connections. Friendship. Love.

He liked reaching out to people. Liked to put a hand on a friend's arm. Liked to wrap an arm around someone's shoulders. Liked to hug.

The warmth. The life. The solidity of a person. Feeling grounded.

_Follow me. Come back!_

Darkness in his lungs. Drowning. Loneliness.

He didn't want it.

Lights. Colors. Warmth. People. Friends. Belonging.

Wetness on his lashes. Running down his temples. Disappearing in his hair.

Tears. He was crying. Why? Was he real? Was he alive?

_It's okay. You can come back now. Please._

Sadness. Guilt.

_You're not alone. We're here. We want to help!_

Warmth. On his temple. On his cheek. On his shoulder. In his hair.

_Just open your eyes!_

Moving. Having a body. Senses.

He could remember running. Climbing. Jumping. Training.

Performing.

_I know you can hear me. I can feel you. You're almost there, Yuya!_

Having a name. Being someone. Being known.

Does having a name make him alive? Does having a name make him someone?

Yuya... He remembered being Yuya. Could he be that again?

_Come back for us, Yuya!_

Being cared for. Being cared about.

Having a mother, a father, friends, a family.

Being a son, a friend, an entertainer, a student, a... person. A whole?

_Please..._

Red eyes opened. Slowly. Squinted shut again. The world was bright.

There were silhouettes. People. Faces.

Worry. Directed at him?

"You came back." Red eyes. Black hair. Brown skin. Backlit by a soft white glowing presence. "I- Are you okay? I mean- dumb question. The number disappeared from your skin. Astral took the card. The influence should be gone."

A lot of words. Some of which he recognized. Some of which were disorienting and couldn't be processed.

The voice was familiar. Warm. Concerned. Friendly. Comforting.

"We defeated Zarc." Blue and pink. Soft colors. Contrasted by piercing green. "We should bring him to the nurse." The voice was deep. Intense. Even. Less familiar. Grounding.

"We'll take him." Another deep voice. Further away. He wanted to look but couldn't move beyond a slow blink. Temporary darkness. Anxiety.

"I should leave." Reluctancy. Worry. Guilt. He remembered brown and red. A powerful presence. Complexity. Walls and shields. An invisible armor. A barrier. Memories that weren't his. Curiosity and fear. Hidden fear?

"Why?" Teal. Green. Gems and family. Protectiveness. More foreign memories. All mingled. All tangled. Confusion.

His head hurt. Too much, it was all too much.

"My presence is hurting him. If I stay any longer, he could get hurt... even more hurt." The red and brown. The worry. The guilt. Why could he feel it? Sense it?

"What do you mean?" The second deep voice again. Black and blue. Strength. Comfort.

"I- I can't explain it. Not right now. I just- I need to go. I'm sorry."

"Go with him." Blue and pink and green. Calm. Controlled. "I'll take him to the nurse."

"No, he's my-"

"I know he's from your house. Now go. There's no time for debates." Hands on his shoulders. Steady. Careful. Temporary. A hand on his back, on his leg. Weightlesness. Blurry vision.

Too many new sensations. Voices merging together. Becoming background noise. Less important. Eyelids drooping shut.

Being held. Being carried. Warmth. Contact.

Vibrations against his cheek. An unfamiliar smell. Security. Dependence. Being forced to trust.

Fatigue. Losing control. Fading.

Darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to send me art and drabble prompts over here (no smut - please and thank you): https://time-to-w-w-w-write.tumblr.com


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